


Night Rain

by strawberrypanda2



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Love Confessions, Major Original Character(s), POV First Person, POV Original Female Character, Pre-Relationship, Secrets, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-07
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-02-24 12:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 81,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2580734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrypanda2/pseuds/strawberrypanda2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amaya Kurosaki, twin sister of Ichigo, has a secret. The very same secret Ichigo now has; she's a Soul Reaper. Continuing to keep this secret from her family, Amaya watches over her beloved brother. However, she is quickly dragged into events she can't avoid, and Amaya's secrets begin to come out one by one.</p><p>*NOT EDITED*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who Will Protect You

 

**6 Years Ago**

_Ichigo was crying again. It was those big old sobs that got Tatsuki staring dumbly at this big baby, and me fretting over him. No matter what I did, it never seemed to be enough to cheer him up. It’s always been this way for the past five years. Tatsuki would beat my brother up and I could do nothing but watch, trying my best not to get sick again. Mom only let me watch as long as I didn’t do anything, but how else was I supposed to protect my brother?_

_Ichigo calmed his tears down, breaking down into his dopey smile and I knew right away Mom was behind me, smiling that sweet smile she always had. I turned, unable to resist the small jealousy that shot through my heart then disappeared. We were supposed to be twins, as close as anyone could get, but Mom was his sun. She was all of their sun. Dad, Yuzu, Karin, Ichigo. She wasn’t my sun, though. My sun was Ichigo; he was my whole world._

_Shuffling over to my mother after Ichigo had long dashed to her I tried to fight down the coughs scratching against my lungs. I was always sick. Always. In the end, I lost like I always did and the dojo went quiet with murmurs as everyone around us wondered about the little girl hacking up a lung and a half._

_Mom gently rubbed my back, and I was grateful. It hurt everywhere, anyway, and there was nothing we could do to stop the pain. Ichigo was hugging me tightly as if that would somehow help, and my heart melted for him like it always did._

_Eventually, the tingling throughout my body silenced itself, and the coughs drew to their final dry end. Our mother gave me a worried look, and I smiled brightly to assure her I was fine. I may have been jealous of her, but I still loved her dearly. Ichigo and I slipped on our bright yellow rain coats, ready to go home._

_Side by side, the three of us walked home, Mom in the middle. Not long into our walk, a passing car splashed my brother, and he exclaimed loudly. Laughing sweetly, Mom leaned down to clean Ichigo’s face. “What a mean car.” Always agreeing with our mother, Ichigo nodded and pouted, whereas I glared balefully after the long-gone taillights of said “mean car”._

_“Why don’t I walk by the road?” Mom tried to switch places with Ichigo, but he stubbornly kept his spot._

_“No! I’m the one wearing a rain coat! I want to protect you.” Again, Mom smiled sweetly at Ichigo, he was too sweet._

_“Then who’s going to protect you?” I immediately took Ichigo’s hand in my own and stared my mother down, determined not to back down._

_“I’ll protect Ichigo.” My words seemed to worry Mom, but she didn’t let the love in her eyes falter. Shaking her head gently, she switched with us, not giving us any room to argue._

_“Alright,” she relented slightly, though, “but I’ll walk by the street.” Our walk continued in peace as Ichigo happily chattered away with our mother, but then, something caught his eye. By the rushing river, we could both see a girl staring absently into the dangerous flow. I had already learned how to tell spirits apart from humans, probably because I was always ill. Ichigo, however, hadn’t, and, before I could stop him, started rushing off to save her._

_I managed to keep his hand in mine, but I was too weak to stop him. Behind us, and I looked, Mom ran after to stop Ichigo in his mindless pursuit. Then, it just happened too fast. I don’t exactly remember what happened. In just a few moments, everything was dark. I had managed to wrap my arms around Ichigo as if my puny body could somehow protect his. Above the both of us, Mom laid dead._

**Present Day**

            “Kurosaki! Are you skipping again?” I looked down at Minori and the girl yelling at me. Beneath me Minori tried her best to shush my classmate so I could sleep. Yawning out my irritation, I jumped down from the tree branch, right between Minori and the irate brunette.

            “What’s it to ya, Munekata?” I could see Munekata grow more irritated by the second, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t the one who got all the loving genes from our mother and father.

            Grabbing me by my slightly unbuttoned uniform shirt, Munekata snarled straight into my face, earning a punch in hers. Staggering back, Munekata brought a twitching hand to her bleeding nose and glared at me. Speech slightly slurred from pain, Munekata warned me, “A punk like you should get expelled.” Visibly flexing my hand, I glanced between Munekata and my fist as if I were debating hitting her again. I really wasn’t, but Munekata got the message and ran away.

            I turned to see Minori calmly holding my jacket up as if she already knew I was planning on leaving. “You know, you should really stop beating people up for such silly things.” I shrugged and tossed the jacket over my shoulder, not really wanting to put it on or leave it. Uniforms are expensive!

            “Shove it, Minori. This is frickin’ stupid. Like I got time fer this dumb crap.” Minori looked at me worriedly, following me without question as I jumped the school wall and started ambling through town even though I still wore my uniform.

            Although I didn’t show it, I did have a destination in mind. After a while of aimless wandering, Minori finally figured out where it was I was aiming for. “Um… Amaya? We’re going to the shoten right?” Grunting, I glared sharply at her, only earning a large smile in return. “Oh! I see. You’re just too embarrassed to say-“

            “Say it an’ I kill ya.” Silence crashed down on us, and I continued walking peacefully. Looking at my watch, I was surprised to see Munekata came to bother me later than usual. The nuisance usually hounded me first thing in the morning, when I took a nap in my tree before school and accidentally stayed asleep too long. That day, she shot after me closer to the end of school, meaning I missed most of the day. Whatever. Didn’t make a difference to me.

            Coming to a stop in front of “the shoten” right as school was supposed to be let out, I spied Jinta bullying Ururu again. Growling, I walked up the little red-head boy and kicked him _hard_ , and sent him flying. Petting Ururu on the head, I asked, “Is Hat-and-Clogs up yet?” Well, I needn’t have. Urahara slid the door wide open as he cheerily ran towards me, surprising me with a hug.

            Thoroughly annoyed, I punched him in the stomach, waiting patiently as he slid down to cradle his new injury. Behind him Tessai nodded to me silently, receiving a similar nod. “Don’ frickin’ hug me, creep.” Instantly recovered, Urahara lifted his fan to hid the lower half of his face as he smiled coyly.

            “It’s been a while Amaya. What brings you here?” Sighing, I followed the taller man into his store, not feeling awkward at all since I practically lived there when I wasn’t at my apartment. Tessai walked off to get us tea as I lounged beside Urahara, a table separating us.

            “’M frickin’ bored. Not a Hollow ‘round fer weeks. An’ now…” My head snapped up as I sensed a Hollow in the distance, my brother’s spirit energy making it easy for me to tell he was near said Hollow. “Frickin’ A. Speak o’ the devil.” I didn’t, however, go after it. Nearby, enough so Ichigo wasn’t in any apparent danger, there was a soul reaper. I had sensed her the night before, spending the moonlit hours watching her to make sure she was just in Karakura for the usual.

            “Too bad! If that soul reaper wasn’t here, you’d be able to do something fun.” I snorted and accepted Tessai’s tea, the only tea I’ve had better was Minori’s. Tessai left to do some other odd tasks as Urahara and I continued to amiably drink our tea.

            “Was hopin’ ya’d fight me. Been a while, eh?” Urahara glanced at me from the corner of his eyes, and I could feel his spirit energy brush up against mine in a silent agreement. Although he was lazy, Urahara and I were friends. Well, friends enough that he told me a _lot_ of interesting things. The friendship wasn’t even one-sided either. We jumped each other in hugs often, even though I often left our pouncing embraces with a punch or kick to his person.

            Urahara gracefully rose to his feet, in a way only a fighter can make it graceful, and I flipped back using my hands to get on my feet. We immediately went down to the training room, where he first taught me how to reach my full potential around four years ago. “Zanpakto?”

            “If you want.”  I shrugged and began stretching my body for the difficult moves of my capoeira. Urahara silently removed Benihime from her sheathe, and with the _shhh_ of her exposure, our fight started. In seconds I had my legs sweeping out to bring Urahara down from his own, but he was already jumping up in the air. Following him, I pushed myself off my hands, my feet seeking Urahara’s body as a target.

            I barely dodged Benihime’s arc through the air save for bending back far enough and flipping away from his attacks. Moving back in, I jumped through the air, my legs kicking out in deadly arcs. As Urahara brought Benihime’s edge up to block me, I twisted to kick off her side, wary of the sword. Even though we were training, Urahara had enough faith in my skills to not lose a limb to Benihime. Had I been a worse fighter, we’d be going to the trouble of reattaching my foot to my leg.

            Smiling at me, Urahara circled me, as wary of my kicks as I was of his sword. When I first managed to land a hit on the mysterious shop owner, he learned Ururu wasn’t the only one with a killer punch. We ended up having to postpone that match until his ribs healed properly.

            I followed Urahara with my eyes as I maintained my _ginga_. “C’mon, Urahara. Ya know ya wanna get yer pretty li’l butt beat.” Grinning, I invited Urahara to start our next little bout. Good natured, Urahara did just that, jumping forward with a low swing of Benihime. I swept to the side and managed to hook Urahara’s leg with my own right before he jumped back with a cartwheel. As he began to dash forward again, I surprised him with an _a ú batendo_, knocking him to the ground.

            In a flash of movement, I twisted his arms so he couldn’t attack and was about to disarm him, when he bent and managed to kick me off of him. Grinning as he bent over to pick up his hat, Urahara congratulated me on getting better.

            Hours later, Urahara carried me up the ladder, both of us panting, sweating, and bruised. Pacing back and forth when we reached the top, Minori began getting herself worked into a frenzy when she saw me. Minori never intruded when Urahara and I were talking or training, thinking, for some reason, it wasn’t her place.

            “Ah, Minori! Hi. You didn’t say anything earlier when you first arrived.” Glaring cutely up at Urahara, Minori kicked him in the shin, causing him to drop me. Instead of sticking up for the soul reaper, I opted for laughing as hard as I could at him. “So mean! Tessai, Amaya is being mean to me again!” Laughing even harder, I wiped the tears from my eyes.

            “Sucker! Ya fell ta a pathetic li’l kick like tha’?” Urahara turned on me, evil shining in his eyes. Pouncing before I could even run away, the sandy-haired shopkeeper began tickling my sides, not giving me a moments rest. “Not fair! Bastard! Tessai! Stop him!” Sighing at the usual sight of Urahara and me after our training days, Tessai separated us, ignoring me sticking my tongue out at Urahara.

            “Will you be staying, Miss Kurosaki?” Humming in thought, I looked at my watch, surprised at the time.

            “Ya. No point in goin’ back ta my place when I gotta bed here.” Cheering, Urahara hugged me, the two of us abandoning Minori and Tessai in favor of other more necessary things. Like food, baths, and a change of clothes.

            First, though, Tessai’s delicious home-cooked food. Sitting at the table, I greeted Ururu and shoved Jinta from his spot. “Now, now, Amaya. No need to be mean to Jinta.” Grunting, I ignored Urahara and Jinta in favor of the food in front of me.

            Tessai and Minori followed after us, sitting down calmly. “Looks good as always, Tessai.” The large man took my compliment with a thanks, and we all began eating at various rates, Jinta eating fastest of us all. Ururu scolded Jinta until the red-headed boy began pulling at her bangs, and I defended her by giving Jinta a taste of his own medicine. Yeah, dinner at Urahara’s shoten. This was the usual affair.

            In the distance, we could all hear a Hollow’s howl. Pausing in my antics, I sought out the location of the Hollow, and barely fought the urge to go chase it down in favor of keeping out of the eyes of the soul reapers. “Near your home, Amaya?”

            Looking sharply towards Urahara, I nodded, biting my lip. “Looks like the soul reaper’s there too. No need ta worry.” My brow furrowed like Ichigo’s often did and Urahara got up to put his hand on my shoulder.

            “Soul Society wouldn’t send this little one unless she could handle it.” Sighing, I scratched the back of my head, growing irritated with my ratted hair.

            Pulling my long, orange hair out of its ponytail, I snapped at Urahara, “Ya know better ‘an anyone why I don’ trust those damned soul reapers.” Growling, I almost ripped out the elastic band, regardless of the hair knotted around it, but Urahara held my hand still.

            “Come on, Amaya. Let me help you.” I nodded, but, as that pervert’s hands started touching me and not my hair, I did a hand stand to kick him, sending him jumping back to dodge.

            “Hands off ya stupid perv!” Storming out of the room, I left to take a bath and go to sleep. As I laid on the futon in the room Urahara always had saved for me, I thought back to my home, getting up with restlessness after a short while.

            Screw it. I wanted to go make sure Ichigo was okay. Getting up, I changed out of my sleeping yukata and into a pair of baggy jeans and a tight belly shirt. They were my clothes for dance competitions, but I figured I might get into a fight, and my fighting style needed as much freedom of movement as dancing, anyway. I held no doubt that Urahara knew the moment I left, as I jumped out the window and began running towards the Kurosaki clinic, sensing out the Hollow.

 


	2. The Duties of a Soul Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaya Kurosaki, twin sister of Ichigo, has a secret. The very same secret Ichigo now has; she's a shinigami, a soul reaper. Continuing to keep this secret from her family, Amaya watches over her beloved brother. However, she is quickly dragged into events even she can't avoid, and Amaya's secrets begin to come out one by one. The truth tears a rift in Amaya's alliances and she finds herself having to choose: her family, or their enemies?
> 
> *NOT EDITED*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to use Night Rain as my story for NaNoWriMo. I already have a bunch of it, but I'm not editing it until NaNoWriMo is finished. So please bear with me. I will edit it once I'm done, since I do now there are a few terms and spellings I've changed over the course of the chapters. Don't worry, I'll fix them. But I've been, essentially, told not to worry about that until I hit the 50k mark, so I won't. Otherwise, tell me what you think about the plot? Sorry that it took me so long to finally get to it. Amaya has properly scolded me.

 

            It took me too long to get to my family’s house. My body moved much slower than the soul reapers, but I still kept making my way there. I sensed something… undesirable. The hollow was dead, by my reckoning, but the soul reaper had done something far worse. Ichigo had become a soul reaper.

            He stood in front of the large gap in our house with the largest zanpakto I had ever seen. It looked more like a giant cleaver, how very like Ichigo to break the norm. A quick scan showed me that Karin was passed out, okay though, and I could feel Yuzu and Isshin somewhere inside. Alive. They were all alive.

            I looked back at the soul reaper, she was wearing a white yukata now, and scowled hard at her. Doing something so foolish without even considering the consequences! She had just signed my brother’s death warrant with her little stunt. What kind of soul reaper couldn’t handle a hollow as weak as that? Taking my brother into consideration, though… Apparently it runs in the Kurosaki blood to get in the way of soul reapers and their duty.

            There was nothing else I could do for them, without alerting the soul reaper to my presence, so I turned back to the shoten. The way back was longer, as I wandered under the moon. Urahara was waiting for me. He sat outside on the porch, two steaming cups of tea on a tray beside him. I silently took my place next to him and took my tea. Urahara probably made it; it was absolutely disgusting.

            The bastard grinned cheekily at me and drank from his own tea, grimacing, but continued regardless. “So,” Urahara began, “care to fill in what happened?” I scowled at him, but he didn’t relent. Not like it mattered if I told him, he’d find out soon enough anyway.

            “Ya’ll find out soon ‘nough. Damned soul reaper’ll be comin’ ta see ya tomorrow. Or tonight. Whate’er.” I drank more of my too bitter tea and continued, “The Society sent ou’ a pretty useless one, this time. She-“ I bit my lip.

            Urahara knew what I meant and gulped down the rest of his tea, standing up. “Then I guess we should get ready to welcome our guests.” Right before Urahara left he asked, “Which is bothering you more; the fact that she turned Ichigo into a soul reaper, or the fact that the circumstances are so similar to Jiro’s?” I threw the cup at him, not surprised when it crashed against the door. He had a point. I suppose I was angry at being reminded of something like that. Chances were it’d end the same way. The soul society is nothing more than heartache. Ichigo, being Ichigo, will probably willingly run headfirst into misery.

            I looked back up at the moon. Perhaps it wouldn’t end up the same way, with scars covering the hearts of anyone involved. But hope isn’t my domain. Ichigo’s the one that learned to never give up on his loved ones. I’ve lost my rights to hopes. I went to sleep, brooding won’t do me any good.

* * *

 

            I woke up to Urahara in my face. Luckily he was never as bad as Isshin, and his jump kicks. Granted, those kicks were always more towards Ichigo, but Ichigo and I shared a room when I still lived with all of them. Unlike Ichigo, I didn’t have the energy to start fighting with everybody the minute I woke up, so I just grumbled and shooed Urahara from my room. Not that Urahara actually left, but it was worth a try.

            All Urahara did was chuckle grab my hand, pulling me up until I was sitting. Past experiences taught me that if I laid back down, he would let me. However, Urahara dangled my buzzing cellphone in my face. No chance I could go back to sleep apparently. Scowling, I answered the phone. It wasn’t all that surprising that it was Isshin, as he just started rambling on about how a giant truck crashed into the house and “isn’t it amazing none of us woke up?”

            I held the phone away from my ear throughout most of the conversation, grunting at the appropriate parts, just waiting for Isshin to get it out of his system. Urahara left when I shooed him out this time, and I started to change into my uniform. Right when I was about to hang up on him, Isshin finally got to the point. He asked me to help fix up the house, and I reluctantly agreed. It helped that I felt somewhat guilty for practically abandoning my family.

            Hanging up on Isshin, I slid open my door, not surprised to see Urahara waiting for me. “What d’ya want?” Urahara smiled behind his fan and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me to the dining room for breakfast. It didn’t escape my notice that Urahara never answered, but I really didn’t expect an answer in the first place.

            The only ones waiting for us for breakfast were Tessai and Minori. Usually Jinta and Ururu were up as well, but it was slightly earlier than usual. I took advantage of the quiet, ducked out from Urahara’s arm, and began eating my breakfast. Briefly, I debated how much I should tell them of my plans, deciding to just let them all know. “Minori,” I waited until I had her attention, “I’ll be goin’ ta the Kurosaki house after school. Go on ‘ome withou’ me. Ya prob’ly won’ be seein’ me either, Hat-n’-Clogs.”

            Minori just nodded, continuing to eat her food. Urahara leaned back, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Aw. Too bad. Will you stay the night there then?” I glared at him. He sounded like he knew something I didn’t. I never liked it when Urahara sounded like that. It usually meant I was going to be irritated at the end of everything.

            “Prob’ly not.” I spoke slowly, suspicious, “Don’ much like it there.”

            With an air of finality, Urahara snapped his fan shut, grinning, and exclaimed, “That settles it then! We’re closer to your family home than your apartment.” My sigh was my resignation, and Urahara’s grin proved to me he knew perfectly well.

            “Whatever. I’ll see ya whene’er I see ya.” I got up, accepting my bag as Minori handed it to me. We said our goodbyes and left for school, actually arriving on time for once. I climbed into my usual tree, ready to sleep, when I felt the soul reaper’s presence nearby.

            “Ichigo!” Why was Ichigo already at school? I would have figured he’d be late or not even show since they were cleaning up their living room. The voice called for Ichigo again, closer and I reached out for my twin, finding he was still at home. “Ichigo! Hey!” I looked down at the girl calling for Ichigo, irritated. Minori also realized whoever was calling for Ichigo thought I was him.

            The soul reaper girl, in a gigai, was walking closer and I scowled. I’m obviously not Ichigo. Our similarities are as follows: hair color, facial expressions, and height. Other than that, we just looked “sorta” related. And if Ichigo wore a skirt, I would eat my shoes. So, apparently, little miss soul reaper had bad eyes.

            “Oh! I’m sorry. I thought you were Ichigo!” Really? I didn’t realize. Scowling, I jumped down from my branch to finally talk to the girl. “Wow. You look a lot like him. You’d almost think you two were related.”

            “We are. I’m Amaya. Ichigo’s twin. You are?” I was tall for a girl, taller than most boys even, but this girl was way too short.

            She smiled sweetly and introduced herself, “I’m Rukia Kuchiki. I just transferred here today. Please take care of me!” Rukia outstretched her hand, obviously wanting to shake hands to finish her thickly sweet greeting. Disgusting. I turned around and picked up my bag, leaving Rukia be. No point in taking a nap since it just got soured by the soul reaper. No longer tired, I decided I might as well attend class for once.

            Minori bowed to Rukia as we swept by her and followed after me. I didn’t pay attention to Rukia once I walked away, but when I felt the flare of anger at my back I couldn’t resist the smile pulling at my lips. Besides not liking soul reapers, I was pissed about what she did to Ichigo. It’d be a pain to go out of my way to irritate the girl, but I wouldn’t cut her any breaks.

            Classes were boring, and, when lunch rolled around, I was quick to get away. Ichigo finally came to school at lunch too. Although I wanted to keep an eye on his interactions with Rukia, it wasn’t my intention to do that literally. On my way back to my classroom, I ran into the two of them talking.

            “That’s absurd!” Rukia shouted at my brother as he leaned away from her, his arms crossed as if to ward her off. “Last night, you fought magnificently!” Oh, so she’s trying to convince him to do her job for her. Dear Soul Society, thank you for sending a truly useless woman to protect Karakura town from Hollows. Really.

            Ichigo dropped his arms and answered her, “That’s because my family was attacked. Not to be cruel, but I couldn’t fight for total strangers.” I frowned, what kind of half-cocked answer was that? Even I believed I couldn’t just leave things be. I couldn’t believe Ichigo would abandon a complete stranger when he saw them in danger; it wasn’t in his nature. “Sorry if it seems like I’m betraying you though.” I hardly think she cares Ichigo.

            My twin began walking away and Rukia said something too quiet for me to hear. “Then I have no choice.” A sudden urge to peek up from where I was hiding washed over me, so I could see more than Ichigo’s hair, but I knew they’d see me if I quit hiding. “Hey!” Rukia shouted, and I heard her running. Most likely towards Ichigo, if I was any good at putting two and two together.

            I heard Ichigo’s body drop, but I could still see his bright orange hair. When he began screaming, I realized Rukia must have forced his soul out of his body. “Damnit,” Ichigo started checking himself out, “what’d you do?”

            Rukia ignored Ichigo’s freak out session and ordered him, “Come with me.” Impressed with her no-nonsense attitude, I mentally applauded her. Maybe the little soul reaper wasn’t so unbearable as I thought. I waited until they left the courtyard before I began following them. As the distance grew between us, I wasn’t able to hear them anymore, but that didn’t much matter to me.

            They arrived at a children’s park, where I sensed a soul. When I sensed a Hollow, and heard the crash of something large, I figured Rukia received orders about a Hollow in the vicinity. So she was going to force Ichigo to do his duties as a soul reaper? She may not know him, but she certainly figured out how to push his buttons.

            I drew close enough to hear them again, and was actually able to see them well enough this time. In the distance a little boy, or his soul, was running from a spider-like Hollow. Ichigo perked up at the boy’s screams, obviously concerned. Despite his earlier words, Ichigo began running towards the spirit, pausing only when Rukia called out to him, “Wait!”

            He turned, his scowl deeper than usual, “What?!”

            Rukia resumed her dispassionate attitude and calmly asked Ichigo, “Why should you save him? That child is a total stranger, isn’t he?” Hearing Rukia speak began bugging me. Something about her reminded me of someone… I wonder who it could-wait. Ah… What did she say her last name was? Kuze? Kurenai? No. Crap. Who did she remind me of?

            “That doesn’t mean I can just _not_ save him!” I bit my cheek and tried to focus back on what I was watching. I could figure out whoever Rukia reminded me of later. “Not when he’s being attacked right before my eyes!”

            Rukia yelled her response right back, “Don’t be selfish!” She definitely had Ichigo’s attention now. “Death gods must be fair towards all souls. Wanting to save only those you can reach, only those you can see…” As Rukia scolded my brother, my respect for her deepened just a bit. “This work isn’t that convenient.” Ichigo turned as the child yelled for help again but was pulled short as Rukia yelled for him again, “Don’t save him! If you want to save that child now… be prepared to save all other spirits as well!” It was somewhat idealistic to “save all other spirits,” but it was a wholehearted approach. She was right. Even if Ichigo wanted to save those few he could see, such half-hearted resolve would only hurt him in the end.

            She continued, “Be prepared to save them even if it means chasing them all around and sacrificing yourself!” Those words… Jiro said those words to me as well. Now, to see which Ichigo chose. A small part of me already knew his decision, but still… The boy fell and Ichigo acted. He attacked the Hollow, cutting off two of its legs. When the Hollow fell, it dispersed. Rukia took the chance to ask Ichigo, “Are you prepared, Ichigo?”

            Ichigo still didn’t look at Rukia as he answered, “No, I ain’t.” I sighed. Of course Ichigo would say that. How very like him. “Be prepared… I don’t care about that! I saved this kid ‘cause I wanted to.” Ah… Careful there brother, you’re verging on self-righteousness. “Are you different?” Rukia frowned and asked what he meant.

            Finally, Ichigo looked at her. “Last night, you,” he paused, “risked your neck to save me. At that moment, were you thinking about your _duty as a death god?_ ” I grit my teeth. Didn’t that just sound the same as what Rukia said? Save all souls, treat them equally. That doesn’t mean consciously pausing to _think_ about saving them. That meant saving all souls even if you have to sacrifice yourself! Geez. I bet neither of them realize they just said the same thing.

            “When you risk your life,” Ichigo continued speaking, “that ain’t the reason. At least, for me…” The Hollow returned and was running towards Ichigo. Would the idiot stop giving a speech and just kill the Hollow? “It ain’t!” He turned and slammed his zanpakto hilt-deep in the Hollow’s mask, effectively killing it. The little boy got up, panting, and Ichigo walked over. “Are you okay?”

            The boy yelped and jumped back from Ichigo, despite the fact Ichigo just saved him. “Hey kid,” Ichigo’s aggressive demeanor probably wasn’t helping either, “if you don’t wanna be scared like that again, go to Heaven already.” I would have thought Rukia explained to him about Soul Society and the such by now. Souls didn’t go to Heaven. They went to the Soul society. Regardless of the incorrect terminology, Ichigo cleansed the boy’s soul and the child disappeared in a flash of light.


	3. A Reasonable Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I want to warn you guys that this is still unedited. I did finish the NaNoWriMo challenge! Woohoo! 50k! However, the story still isn't finished. I'm keeping up a chapter a day. Although, you all can definitely rest assured that I will be going back through and editing ALL of this once I'm done. So please bear with it a bit more!

            Rukia walked over to stand next to Ichigo. “Excellent Soul Burial.” Her eyes were closed. It really was. I hadn’t seen a proper soul burial in four years, and it was as beautiful as I remembered. It hurt not being able to cleanse the souls I could see day-to-day. There was one good thing about the soul reaper being around. Now some souls could get the peace they deserved.

            “I’m goin’ home.” Ichigo walked off embarrassed. The idiot probably forgot he was in his soul reaper form, and not his real body. I sped off before they could spot me, using my spirit energy to speed up what little I could.

            Ichigo made it to school around the same time I did, so I approached him once he entered his body again. “Yo, Ichigo. Isshin wanted me ta help with the cleanin’ up. I heard a truck crashed righ’ inta the house.” Ichigo checked himself and answered an affirmative, distracted. I suppose the first out of body experience _was_ strange. “I was jus’ leavin’ now. Wanna join?”

            Ichigo nodded and we went back to our classes, to grab our stuff, and met at the gate. We hadn’t walked home together since Masaki died. I had somehow gotten better and started training after school to get stronger. Ichigo… stopped training. Oh, he could still fight and all that, but I suppose karate training was just too much for him after his sun stopped shining.

            We walked home in silence. Besides not living together anymore, Ichigo and I barely even talked either. The only reason I still kept in contact was because Isshin made a nuisance of himself. Yuzu and Karin would force me to spend time with them every now and then too. Ichigo and me though? We just sort of… Stopped. Both of us changed a lot too. It’s kind of funny. We changed in the same way. Ichigo stopped smiling like he used to, and I got stronger. Ruder. Whatever. Either way, Ichigo couldn’t stand talking to me sometimes. He would just… scowl and walk away.

            Isshin was almost a welcome reprieve when we got to the house. Almost. He greeted us with a flying kick, and we both dodged, letting him crash to the ground. “Ichigo, my son, I have-Amaya?” Isshin stood up, dusting himself off. I told him I was going to come today, why was he so surprised? Wait, it had been a really long time. A year since I last visited? In seconds, Isshin brightened up and tried to jump me in a wide hug, but I kicked him in the face, not even remotely sorry as he slid down to the ground.

            “Don’ touch me, ol’ man. Tha’s disgustin’. We got work ta do. Let’s get it done before Yuzu ‘n’ Karin come ‘ome.” I ignored Isshin as he pouted and started babbling to the air about how mean his daughter had become. The actual damage to clean up wasn’t too bad, since they had worked on it in the morning, leaving the large stuff Yuzu and Karin couldn’t handle and a giant gaping hole in the wall.

            We got pretty far by the time Yuzu and Karin came home. Yuzu jumped into my arms the minute she saw me, gushing over how long it had been since the last time I’d come home. Karin waited patiently for Yuzu to let me go before giving me a calm hug and telling me how much she’d missed me. I had really messed up with these two. Karin had grown so serious since Masaki died, and she had become very stand-offish. She was strong, but no one Karin’s age should be so strong. Yuzu, too, had taken in her hands to take care of the family and hold everyone together. It didn’t help at all that I was going off on my own.

            I stayed long enough to eat dinner but left right after, I wasn’t comfortable at that house anymore. It was pretty obvious, too, that they had built their own little rituals in my absence, and my presence disturbed the tranquility. If it can even be called tranquil with Isshin in the picture. Yuzu sent me off with leftovers, worried, for some reason, I wasn’t eating.

            By the time I got to the shoten, I was exhausted. Urahara was waiting for me again. “How was it?” I glared at him, but walked past, toeing off my shoes.

            “Awkward.” He followed me as I walked through the traditional house, all the way to my room. “Isshin hasn’t changed at all. ‘E still tries ta jump me every few seconds. When will ‘e ever learn?” Urahara chuckled and fanned himself with the ever-present, ever-annoying fan.

            “Your family misses you Amaya.” I threw my bag against the wall, stopping to glare at him, more serious this time.

            “They shouldn’t! They should jus’ get used ta me bein’ gone. They need ta stop callin’ me ‘n’ askin’ me ta come ‘ome!” Urahara gave me some sort of mixed look and it only irritated me even more. What was that supposed to even _mean_?  Turning away from Urahara I took off my uniform jacket and hung it up.

            Behind me, Urahara sighed. Annoying bastard. “Amaya,” he grabbed my arm and forced me to look back at him, “they’re your family. Of course they miss you.” I scowled at Urahara and yanked my arm from his hold, ignoring the pout he gave me.

            “You know damn well why they can’t.” There was a slight _swish_ as Urahara took out his fan again to cover his face. I looked away, unable to hold his eyes. Giving up, Urahara shook his head and left my room. I quickly changed into my loose pants and belly shirt, and made my way towards the training room. It was my habit to work out my frustration, and the constant movement of capoeira was perfect for that. I had my own reasons for distancing myself from my family.

            Urahara came down at some point, bringing food and water. He got comfortable on one of the boulders right next to my food, so I figured he planned on talking to me. As I worked through some cool-downs though, Urahara remained quiet and just watched. It was only as I approached, that he spoke up, “I’m sorry Amaya, I wasn’t thinking.”

            I scoffed and raised my eyebrow at him. Swallowing down one of the onigiri Tessai made I responded, “Tessai made ya say that, didn’ ‘e?” The answering chuckle was all the confirmation I need and I laughed lightly as well. “Whatever. I jus’,” I plopped down next to Urahara, still eating, “can’t fit back there, ya know? Not after learnin’ what all I ‘ave.” Urahara reached over and rested his hand on my head, petting me with soft, short strokes. Sighing, I leaned my head against his shoulder.

            “Then why don’t you make the decision? To leave your family or to stay?” I pulled from Urahara heaving a breath and rubbed my temples. Of course the bastard would bring up the question I’ve been putting off for four years. The original question was phrased differently—and there was that niggling reminder of Rukia again—but it did boil down to a simple question of to stay or go. Only Urahara knew, not even Minori. There were many things no one else knew; no one but Urahara. Sometimes it seemed like Urahara knew more about me than even I did.

            Trying to put off answering, I took large gulps of the water Urahara brought for me. “I don’t know. I still don’t know.” Urahara leaned on me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he often did. A light hit from his fan on my forehead brought me back to the present and he smiled when I looked at him.

            “Then don’t make your decision yet. That’s okay.” I smiled back and lightly punched him in the side. Pretending to be wounded, Urahara let go and backed away, making sure to grab one of my onigiri. “So mean, Amaya! I’ll just take this as payment for the lodging.”

            “Hey! Give tha’ back!” When I began giving chase, Urahara chortled and ran away, taunting me by waving the rice ball above his head. “Urahara!”

* * *

 

            The next day was pretty uneventful. I didn’t really feel like following Ichigo and Rukia around, since Rukia was pretty much trying to convince Ichigo to accept his duties. It’s pretty amazing that Ichigo was still refusing. Minori and I went back our own apartment after school. It wasn’t messy—Minori hated messes—but it wasn’t very lived in. Sometimes I wondered why I didn’t just move in with Urahara, we certainly talked about it enough.

            When I first moved away from my family, I didn’t officially move away: I was only 13 after all. I stayed with Urahara. My own apartment actually only came recently, with Minori’s help. Technically it originally belonged to Minori, and she was going to get rid of it when we met, but I convinced her to let me stay with her.

            It wasn’t spacious or anything. The apartment fit the two of us, we could cook our own food, and there was a laundry room down the hall. No matter how hard I tried to get used to it, I just didn’t feel at home here. The shoten was more a home to me than my family home or my apartment!

            Shrugging off my jacket, I let Minori take my bag and, once it was off, my jacket. Her subservient attitude didn’t bother me as much as it used to. When I tried to break her of it, Minori pretty much went crazy so Urahara told me to just deal with it. I had it coming too, considering I saved her even when he told me not too.

            “Amaya?” I stopped my careless stripping in an attempt to get into something comfortable to look at Minori. She prettily batted her eyes at me and her hands were folded against her chest. It took me a second to realize she was still in her full uniform, the steel gray of our blazers and skirts matching perfectly with her blue eyes and raven’s wing black hair. Her mouth was pursed and she looked like she really wanted to say something.

            Sighing, I fought to take my wild orange hair down and asked, “Wha’ is it? Ya wanted ta ask somthin’ didn’t ya?” Smiling brightly, Minori nodded, and I was struck with the notion that she was a danger to boys. Even I sometimes thought Minori was too pretty, and I’m a girl.

            “You spent yesterday with your family, right? How did it go?” Groaning, I rolled my eyes and continued changing, reassured that she didn’t need me to focus on her for something.

            “It was okay, I guess. Nothin’ much happened. Ate dinner with ‘em, ‘n’ went ta the shoten after. Urahara ‘n’ I trained most o’ the night.” Minori slumped, as much as anyone with perfect posture does, and fixed pleading puppy dog eyes on me. “’M tellin’ ya minori! Nothin’ happened, ‘n’ nothin’s gonna happen!”

            “Oh alright,” Minori grabbed my brush and started attempting to tame my hair, making it very difficult for me to get into my normal clothes. “I just wish you got along better with your family.” I couldn’t get mad at Minori for those words, because she didn’t know my reasons for distancing myself from them. Urahara, on the other hand, knew perfectly well.

            Minori lost the fight with my hair and settled on just braiding it. “I’m goin’ ta my practice, Minori, so I’ll be back late.” Smiling, Minori handed me an apple to eat on my way there. There would probably be dinner when I got back from practice. I checked my clothes to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. As always they were light and loose. Minori looked me over as well and handed me my bag once she was pleased. Mumbling goodbye around a mouthful of apple, I slipped on my outdoor shoes and began running towards the dance studio for practice.


	4. Lunch With Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting late, but I have two chapters to post. The second was more for Thanksgiving, but I'll just use it as my apology. Again, not quite finished yet, so please excuse the grammar and such. I will be editing it once I finish.

            I was sitting at my desk, doodling on my notebook and bored out of my mind. Of course, at the rate Ichigo and the soul reaper were going, I doubted if I’d ever get a proper night of sleep again. Just as I was about to go to sleep, I felt their spirit energy flaring up, but decided not to go check it out. I _was_ sure Ichigo could handle himself, but the night before wasn’t very promising. Then, because I didn’t go check up on him, I stayed up all night thinking about the energies I felt.

            Thinking about it again, I slammed my pen into my notebook, all of my surrounding classmates jumping and staring nervously at me. I turned a scowl at all of them, and they quickly looked away. “Hi! Miss Kurosaki?” I knew that chipper voice. Turning to the owner of that sickeningly sweet voice, I was somewhat surprised to see the soul reaper girl. Wait, she earned the right for a name; Rukia earned some points the other day.

            Still, earning points did _not_ mean she could approach me as she liked. “Wha’ do ya want?” Her smile froze and she tilted her head, probably trying to summon back her calm.

            “Would you like to eat lunch with us?”

            … What? Did the so-Rukia just ask me to eat lunch with them? Me? Amaya Kurosaki. “Ya do know who ya’re askin’ don’t ya?” Rukia nodded and I couldn’t resist just staring open-mouthed at her. Why was little miss soul reaper inviting me to lunch? It definitely wasn’t because of Ichigo or anyone in their group.

            “There is no need to look like that! I just thought you would enjoy eating with us!” I kicked my chair up on its back legs as I thought about Rukia’s offer. Normally I would have said no as soon as I managed to get my wits together, but her offer was useful. I _did_ want to keep an eye on them…

            I turned to look at Minori, who was staying quiet throughout the whole conversation, and asked, “Ya wanna go Minori?” Minori blinked, surprised that I was going to go, then she smiled wide and nodded emphatically. Rukia looked like she also thought I was going to say no, but she collected herself quickly. As she turned on her heel and started walking away, Minori grabbed our food and we followed.

            Lunch with Ichigo’s group was on the roof, where they always ate. Looking around, I only saw the girls that often roped Rukia into joining them. Still, I couldn’t figure out why she invited me. None of the girls would want me around either. Granted, when they saw me, they all just shrugged off Minori’s and my presence and scooted over to make room on a picnic sheet.

            Once settled in, Rukia went over to stand next to Ichigo and the girls continued with whatever conversation they had going. I just quietly ate my lunch, having no idea or desire to join the conversation.

“It’s true, I’m telling you!” Some orange-haired girl—what was her name, oh right, Orihime—shouted, leaning forward to emphasize her point. Surprised, I put down my food and watched her, wondering what the hell she was going on about. “A sumo champion _really_ came to my apartment and blew a hole in the wall with a gun!” I gaped openly at her. Was the girl serious? Watching Ichigo and Rukia’s reactions, though, I figured she was probably a bystander to their fight the night before. What an interesting memory to make up though.

None of the other girls believed her, obviously, and one even said, “Geez. You and that story again.” She told people stuff like this often? I looked back at Orihime, she didn’t look like the kind to be so off-beat, but I guess you never know. “Try something with a bit more realism.” Yeah, because if that _actually_ happened, I’d try my damnedest to make sure no one ever found out. “Like a pro-wrestler had an out-of-ring grudge match or something.” Wait, what? How was that any more realistic? Who would believe that?

I looked over at Minori, seeing she had pursed her lips. Great, Minori thought they were funny. Somehow I had the feeling she would want to spend more time with them. Sighing, I let myself think about it. Minori only ever spent time with me, and kept to herself from everybody, even the residents of the shoten. Maybe I should let her come eat lunch with these girls. If they got too weird though, I thought I might run away.

A red-head with glasses piped up this time, “Well, I really like that mischievous mind of yours, ‘Hime.” Yeah, that’s what it’s called. Mischievous.

“It’s _really true_. Right, Tatsuki?” I looked at Tatsuki, surprised to see her. It had been years since I met her, so I didn’t recognize her. Looking at her, though, I should have been able to; Tatsuki looked the same as ever.

“Right.” Tatsuki confirmed Orihime’s story, and the others immediately took her word for it. So, Tatsuki was still quite the serious one. Strange, then, that she was friends with weirdos.

“Wow! So you’re selling the same story Tatsuki?” Selling…? Nevermind, I guess they didn’t believe her. Hold on a minute, the story from the get-go was pretty outlandish. If they _did_ believe her, I would start getting really worried. I looked for Ichigo and Rukia, to see them shaking hands. Ah. Did Ichigo finally agree to Rukia’s proposition?

“What do you think Kurosaki?” The brunette who brought up the not-so-realistic-realism turned to me. I shrugged, to believe something I knew to be false or not?

“Anythin’ can ‘appen I suppose. ‘N’ if two gals’re sayin’ the same thing, ya’re kinda inclined ta think ‘bout it.” They all listened intently, then took a moment to work through what I said. Finally, once they understood me, they all started talking too fast for me to keep up. The conversation shot back and forth as they debated the ridiculous topic. Minori started giggling quietly, and I looked askance at her.

“Enjoyin’ yerself Minori?” My sole friend nodded as she covered her mouth, trying to keep the giggles in. It looked like we were going to eat lunch with them more often. Maybe I could eventually figure out why Rukia invited me too. I had a feeling she wanted to keep an eye on me, but why would she? I’ve done nothing that should make her suspicious. Shrugging, I laid down and stared at the clouds. I fell asleep listening to their conversation and Minori’s laughter.

* * *

 

            “Man…” I paused right before opening the door to the roof. That sounded like Ichigo. “I can’t believe my injury healed in a day.”

            “Surprised?” Rukia sounded proud of herself, and I just leaned against the wall, shamelessly eavesdropping. “My grades in demon magic were in the top level.” Ooh, so she wasn’t actually a worthless soul reaper! Ichigo just got so much in her way that she lost her spirit energy. Speaking of which, I closed my eyes and reached towards Ichigo and Rukia: Ichigo’s energy was bright as ever, and Rukia’s… was still so weak? Granted, I’d be surprised if she was at full strength already, but she should have more of a presence than currently does. I scowled; I bet Urahara knows _exactly_ why she isn’t getting stronger.

            “Healing like that’s a piece of cake,” Rukia continued, sounding so smug. Did she not find it odd that her power was returning so slowly? If she doesn’t start thinking about it, she’ll end up in a situation where she attempts a spell and it doesn’t work out.

            “Grades?” Of course that’s what Ichigo zeroed in on. “So what? Soul reapers have a school?” I was almost ashamed, but I suppose I only knew because Urahara told me all sorts of stuff about Soul Society.

            “Well, yeah. More importantly, Ichigo…” Rukia sounded very serious, so I focused harder to make sure I heard whatever she said. “How does one drink this?” I almost laughed. Out loud. I slapped my hand to my mouth to keep quiet. That was unexpected. Who gets that serious about something to drink?

            “’How?’” Ichigo sounded like he was caught offbeat as well, but he gathered himself and answered, “You poke the straw in and drink it, obviously.”

            “The straw?” Oh, poor Rukia, having difficulty drinking from a juice box.

            “What are you up to Kurosaki?” I looked up to see one of Ichigo’s friends, Mizuiro. He was holding his lunch in his hands and staring straight at me. Whoops, I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, so I never noticed him coming up.

            Straightening myself out I waved my hands in front of my face, “Jus’ thinkin’ ‘bout somethin’ is all.” I turned and opened the door for him, walking onto the roof as well.

            “Oh,” Mizuiro zeroed in on Ichigo and Rukia, “you’re together again. You two are awfully friendly.” Ichigo looked over at us.

            “Mizuiro,” he locked eyes with me and looked surprised. I suppose Ichigo wasn’t expecting me to come up for lunch again. “Amaya?” Ichigo shook his head and looked back to Mizuiro, “You moron, does this look like friends?” Rukia didn’t care about the goings-on behind her as she fiddled with her juice box.

            “You’re not?” I walked past Mizuiro as he kept talking with Ichigo, taking pity on Rukia.

            “Here,” I held out my hand when she looked at me, “I’ll open it fer ya.” The girl beamed up at me, handing me the drink gratefully. I went back to listening in on Ichigo’s conversation with Mizuiro as I messed with Rukia’s juice box for her. Mizuiro said something about Ichigo needing to pay attention to what others thought.

            “You idiot,” I quite agreed with Ichigo when it came to this, “if I cared about that, I’d have dyed my hair black years ago.” I handed Rukia her drink, shaking my head when she thanked me.

            “That’s true.”

            “Oh! I see!” Rukia examined the straw through hole before drinking it. Her outburst brought Mizuiro’s attention over to us.

            “Miss Kuchiki,” Mizuiro greeted Rukia without even realizing he provided me with the answer to my most recent questions, “hello.” My mind raced, confirming yet doubting that I just heard that Rukia’s name was Kuchiki. Maybe there was no relation? Kuchiki isn’t a common name though, and it belonged to soul reapers… Her demeanor, her name, her duty, her beliefs… I really hope there is no relation to the Kuchiki she reminded me so much of.

            “Hello! Uh,” Rukia practically shone as she pulled on her false exterior, “Kojima-kun.”

            “Right,” Mizuiro smiled politely, “I still haven’t introduced myself have I?” I honestly didn’t care who this guy was. However, Minori wasn’t here yet, making it a bit difficult for me to confirm my suspicions. So I just waited patiently, listening to them go on. “Kojima, Mizuiro, 15 years old. My hobby is-“

            “Girl hunting,” Ichigo cut in. I took a beat, and gave Mizuiro a second look. No way.

            “What?” Mizuiro looked scandalized, “No it’s not! That’s mean.” I took a breath, relieved. Too many of Ichigo’s friends were nothing like they looked. He really was surrounded by psychos.

            “He looks innocent,” Ichigo kept up his explanation of Mizuiro, “but he’s an incurable womanizer. Be careful.” The last part was aimed solely at Rukia, but she obviously didn’t care.

            “Quit that! You’ll ruin my image.” Funny that that actually mattered to him, but whatever. “Besides I’m only interested in older women.” I choked on my breath. Okay. So he really was a womanizer. Mizuiro looked so sweet though.

            Ichigo’s immediate response made me laugh, “That’s why I told her to be careful.” Doubtless, Rukia was much older than any of us. Not that I should know that, but I don’t think she caught my reaction.

            “Hark!” Another one of Ichigo’s idiotic friends appeared during his conversation with Mizuiro. It was the brunette one that was always so loud and annoying. I don’t know how Ichigo put up with him. “Lo there do I see our pretty new transfer student, Miss Kuchiki!” Was he talking like that on purpose? Did he do that all the time? If he did, it would get really old, really fast. “Why art thou here?” He stomped up to Rukia’s side, and I stepped away like idiocy was contagious.

            Mizuiro innocently pointed up at Ichigo and said, “Ichigo hit on her and lured her up here.” I choked on my spit again. The day Ichigo successfully hit on a girl, I would probably die. Easily embarrassed, Ichigo began denying it, but the new brunette rankled up immediately.

            “What? Ichigo you bastard?” He sounded so angry, but grabbed Ichigo’s shoulder right after and said, “Good job!”

            “Oh,” Ichigo looked as disturbed as I felt, “you’re happy enough to cry?” The boy let go of Ichigo to go loom over Rukia, and Ichigo rubbed his shoulder off.

            “Thank you captain,” he saluted Rukia, “for coming to this squalid garden of manliness!” What was I, chopped liver? Not that it really mattered, I technically was more manly than these two. Clearing my throat, I quietly introduced myself to Mizuiro. He politely greeted me, we never spoke before so it was odd.

            When Rukia greeted the strange one, he started yelling something about a party. Ichigo quickly tried to shoot him down with, “With coffee milk and yakisoba bread?” Refusing to be put down, the strange one yelled at Ichigo to shut up. Switching tracks, the strange one offered his services to Rukia should she ever need them. Overly excited, he backed up into the one friend of Ichigo’s I actually recognized and respected, Chad.

            Chad stood well over any of us, and he was wide. He was also very strong for a 15 year old, as far as I knew, but I really didn’t know much about Ichigo’s friends. He greeted everyone present with a raise of his hand, showing bandages going up his hand. Looking closer, I realized he had bandages across his forehead too. Whatever damaged the giant boy, was insanely strong.

            “You’re,” Ichigo noticed the bandages too, “injured.” He was also very surprised, making me think this didn’t actually happen often. Which was good, because if it _did_ , I would have to leave.

            They asked Chad what happened, but my eyes, and attention, were drawn towards the birdcage in Chad’s other hand. Inside the cage was a white cockatiel with a human spirit inside. I frowned and turned my attention to Chad’s story; this should be interesting. “The one on my head is from a steel girder that fell on me yesterday.” What the hell? A steel girder fell on him and he’s still walking around like it was nothing? “The one on my hand and arm is from a head-on collision with a motorcycle.” Chad was a beast. Who the hell survives that, let alone walks around normally?

            The giant continued with his story, “The rider was hurt badly, so I carried him to the hospital and just got back.” How… nice of him. I sighed. Ichigo’s friends were too much.

            Just… “More like, I’m _still_ wondering what you’re _made_ of.” Ichigo took the words right out of my mouth. Still silent, Chad just put the bird down, bringing everyone’s attention to it.

            When asked what was up, the bird responded in Chad’s stead, “Hello, my name is Shibata Yuichi.” I couldn’t resist gritting my teeth and turning away. So the boy knew full well who he was and where he was. “What’s your name?” Rukia and Ichigo froze with their eyes on the bird, and probably thought exactly what I did when I saw him. I should have stopped myself from reacting, because when I looked up, Rukia was staring right at me. Uh-oh.

 


	5. Suspicious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Please enjoy this week's chapter. Honestly, I'm ashamed of myself... I haven't written a single word since my dad got home last saturday... So, I'll be spending all day writing a chapter for every day I didn't. Wish me luck. And patience.

 

“Chad,” Ichigo didn’t notice my own reaction like Rukia did, “Where’d you get this cockatiel?” Did how he got the damn bird really matter? If he asked me, I would say it mattered more how the boy even got _in_ the cockatiel. Not that Ichigo ever looked to me for an opinion though.

“Yesterday,” Chad paused and for a second he made me think of a statue, “I got it.” I snorted, unable to keep from laughing while the strange friend—what _was_ his name—reprimanded Chad. I rather liked how he told his stories, but I could see how that was a problem when he dropped a bomb on you when a story was _worth_ telling.

“Don’t worry,” Rukia finally turned her attention from me and spoke quietly to Ichigo. My bad habit of eavesdropping kicked in; but they just made it so easy. “There certainly is something inside it,” something? She didn’t know _what_ she was looking at? “But it’s nothing bad.” Oh, yeah. Sure. It’s nothing bad. Why would a little boy be in a cockatiel?! Things like that only happen for a _reason_. But no, let’s all completely forego _common sense_.

“It’s probably just a lonely ghost,” was Rukia still offering Ichigo false comfort? “We can’t just let it be though.” Wow, she finally said something I agree with again. “Sometime tonight, we should give it a soul burial.” Sighing, I pressed my fingers to my forehead and realized I was scowling again. Unlike Ichigo, I wasn’t permanently scowling.

“Roger,” it amazed me none of Ichigo’s friends even noticed this conversation, “I’m gonna miss out on sleep again.” That was Ichigo’s fault. Fighting Hollows and giving soul burials wasn’t night-time exclusive. Rukia immediately told Ichigo to stop complaining, but then she went quiet.

“When I was in eighth grade,” Ichigo started and I started wondering where he was going with this, “was when I first met Chad.” Ah. I see. The beginning of their little bromance. Granted, it was the whole reason I respected Chad. It was around the time I stopped keeping an eye on Ichigo, because I was spiritually aware at the time and was running around with Urahara and Jiro. I grit my teeth at the reminder of my dead friend. I didn’t like to think of him. It… brought up feelings better left buried.

“Back then, ‘cause of my hair, people had it out for me.” Ha. Yeah. I had quite a bit of trouble myself. Girls didn’t start fights with you, but they definitely gave you all sorts of trouble. They had learned not to mess with me, though, when I started fighting back. In Ichigo’s case, when he fought back, they tried harder to beat him down. Since I was busy chasing around Hollows with Jiro, I didn’t learn about Ichigo’s fights until too late. “I got into fights all the time.

“Then one time, things started to get really serious… Chad won’t fight no matter how tangled up he gets.” Unlike Ichigo and me, we jumped into fights for stupid reasons like the color of our hair. I stared at Chad as he feed the bird some chips. If it hadn’t been for Chad, protecting Ichigo when I failed, Ichigo probably wouldn’t be here. He didn’t specify how serious things had gotten, but it got to a point where he could have died.

Rukia broke Ichigo’s, and my, introspective mood with, “This juice is pretty good.” When was Minori going to come back with my lunch? My stomach growled, and I just got up to sit around the birdcage as well.

* * *

 

            “Yo, Urahara.” I entered through the front of the shoten, Minori right behind me. She said something about helping Tessai and walked off. Urahara grinned, luckily too lazy to get up and hug me, and motioned towards the cushion across the table from him. I took off my shoes and sat down, normally because I couldn’t get comfortable in a skirt. “I ‘ave a few questions fer ya.”

            Simply taking out his fan, Urahara didn’t seem very surprised. Bastard. Sometimes he really pissed me off. “Oh? What would you like to know, Amaya?”

            I scowled at him, stopping when he only smiled wider. “It’s ‘bout the soul reaper gal. She’s still so weak. Now, ya wouldn’t ‘appen ta know anythin’ ‘bout that wouldya Hat-‘n’-Clogs?” Urahara gave me the most innocent look in his arsenal. Which, of course, meant he had everything to do with it, and, no, he wasn’t going to tell me. I sighed and gave up. Having known Urahara for years, now, I knew there was nothing I could do to get the information out of him.

            I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember what my other questions were. But, I figured they’d pop into my head again eventually.  In the distance I could feel the brief flash of a Hollow as it entered our world then left again. Another question popped into my head, “Do ya have any theories fer the amount o’ Hollows goin’ ‘round?” Urahara stopped to think about his answer this time.

            “Hmmm… I’m not sure. I could look into it?” I shook my head. I was pretty sure I knew why there were way more Hollows in the past several days than usual. Ichigo was growing into his power and still wasn’t able to contain it. To anyone with spiritual power he was like an overflowing cup full on leaks. Exactly what Hollows liked. Taking that into consideration, it surprised me that Rukia hadn’t introduced Ichigo to Urahara yet. Jiro introduced the next day we met up. Not that it made a difference in Jiro’s fate.

            Urahara seemed to read my mood, since he suddenly clapped his hands together. “I just remembered,” he stood and motioned for me to do so as well, “you had dance practice earlier this week, right? You didn’t come show us!” I rolled my eyes, Urahara forced me to show him my dancing every week ever since he learned I danced. It was actually my dancing that led to me practicing capoeira, at Urahara’s suggestion.

            “I don’ much feel like gettin’ all sweaty, righ’ now.” Urahara pouted at me, and pushed me to the trapdoor leading to the basement. Minori appeared at the perfect time, a tray with two cups of steaming tea in her hands. Her eyes shot from me to Urahara behind me, and eh blushed.

            “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were going to go train!” I never understood why Minori reacted like that when Urahara and I trained together. Just what did she think training was? Whatever. I gave up figuring Minori out a long time ago.

            However, my only chance at escape was quickly running away. Before Minori could stammer out her last apology and back out of the room I took my escape route. “Tea! I wan’ tea. C’mon back ‘ere Minori. Yer not gonna deny me the tea Minori so kindly made fer us, are ya, Urahara?” Urahara pouted again, but relented and took back his seat.

            I sat down in my own seat, eagerly accepting Minori’s tray. She smiled at us and took her leave, again. Wondering at the silence, I stretched out my senses. Minori was walking back to the kitchen to help Tessai with dinner. Further, in the back, I could sense Jinta and Ururu playing around. Urahara probably had them “cleaning” something in that vicinity. So it was just Urahara and me in the shop.

            Urahara sighed and leaned against the table, fanning himself absently. “Boo. I wanted to see Amaya’s dance.” I looked askance at him, and rolled my eyes. He was probably just bored and wanted to use me to alleviate his boredom. “Amaya,” his voice was suddenly serious and I looked at him.

            “Yeah?” It was strange for Urahara to switch gears like that for no reason.

            Once my eyes were on him, Urahara opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. “Nevermind!” His normal sing-song tone was back. Why did he even bother getting me all worried just to change his mind? “I’ll tell you later.” I gave the shop-owner a leery look, knowing him well enough to know that didn’t bode well at all.

            Dinner came and went, Urahara still refused to tell me what he was going to say earlier. I gave up somewhere in the middle of the meal when Jinta tried to steal my food. I took my revenge, and he took his anger out on Ururu, so I jumped to her rescue. I didn’t forget what had happened earlier, but there was no point dwelling on anything where Urahara was involved.

* * *

 

            I woke up exhausted. Getting up and ready for school was much more of a chore than it usually was, and I stumbled as I walked. Checking my phone, I saw I was already late for school, so it wasn’t that I woke up too early.

            Jinta and Ururu were already finished with their breakfasts and leaving, Tessai was cleaning up. Minori and Urahara were both just sitting at the table. I figured Minori was because she was waiting for me, Urahara was probably there because he was just too lazy to relocate. Once they saw my face though, their demeanors changed.

            Minori rushed to my side and checked my forehead. Her gasp confused me, so I closed my eyes to examine how I felt physically. I hadn’t noticed it before, because I didn’t pay attention anymore, but my exhaustion came more from my muscles and bones. I felt heavier than I should, and I was burning up. So, I was sick. That hasn’t happened in years. Since Masaki died, actually. I got sick that one last time and never got sick again. Until now, that is.

            Visibly worried, Minori helped me sit down, and I scowled. There was no need to help me _sit down_. It’s not like I was an invalid. “Amaya,” Minori started when I shook off her help, “you have a fever. Are you sure you should be up?” I checked myself again, as if my previous symptoms were just a figment of my imagination. Probably not.

            “Go back to sleep Amaya.” I looked over to Urahara and frowned. Yes, I knew I should probably listen to him, but I hated being sick. It worked as a reminder of when I couldn’t protect—Ichigo! I stood, only wobbling a little.

            “You’re right,” my voice was raspier than I expected and my throat started throbbing. Coughing at how dry I just realized my throat was, I gripped my throat. “I’ll go to sleep.”  Just at the door, the world slid from under my feet and I reached for the wall to steady myself, but I couldn’t grab it. My body was suddenly lighter and everything blurred together for a second.

            I blinked and I was looking up at Urahara’s face. He was frowning and looking ahead of him. I could feel his arms around my back and under my knees, and I figured out he was carrying me. Oh. I probably got dizzy and had a fainting spell. I could see a bit around Urahara’s shoulder, and I tried to look. The best I could see was a part of Minori, she was scrambling after Urahara with her arms outstretched. My eyes grew heavy, and I relaxed. I was safe in Urahara’s arms; he acted like a fool, but he was always helping me when I needed him. I closed my eyes.

            _Wind whistled all around me, whipping my hair into a frenzy. It was always down when I came here. I opened my eyes and saw a large lake before me. Looking again, I noticed I was standing at the cliff overlooking the lake. All around me where ancient tree, standing so tall I couldn’t see their tops. Far below, in the lake, I saw a figure; it was a woman, floating across the lake and she seemed at peace. So, Daiyu was still okay. I looked around, wary of the other two occupying my mind._

_I felt a large impact against my back, and saw a snow white arm snake around my neck. “Ayama.” Ayama cackled and jumped down to let me turn around and face her. She looked like me, except inverted. Her skin was as white as paper, and her eyes were gold on black. Her, also white, hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. Following the outfit theme of the world in my mind, Ayama wore a white qipao with loose capris underneath. I knew from experience that it was airy and comfortable, easy to fight in._

_Her eyes flickered behind me and I turned to see the last resident of my mind. She didn’t have a name, and all she appeared to be was a silhouette. Her shape was like mine, but she was completely ink black. This one’s voice was strange to hear, warbling somewhere between a man’s voice and a woman’s. It also, I knew, was the one to make me sick. “Hello again, Amaya.” I couldn’t resist the twitch upon hearing its voice._

_“How nice o’ ya ta call me ‘ere. Couldn’t ya find a better way ta get my attention?” Ayama pouted and stepped around to stand by the silhouette woman. Looks like Daiyu wouldn’t be joining us. Not that I expected her to, she should be blissfully asleep, under a seal right now._

_“It’s yer fault, ya know.” Ayama cocked a hip out and sniffed daintily. “Ya don’ listen ta us whenever we call ya. Ya blocked us out! Hell! Ya put Daiyu under a seal. Now, how long is that gonna be?” I frowned. They knew exactly why I sealed Daiyu. Daiyu was even the one who asked me to do it._

_“Ayama,” the silhouette spoke, silencing Ayama. “I apologize for my methods. However, I did not quite have as much control over it as you think.” What? That was quite the confession coming from the nameless one._

_Control or no, though, she was still the cause of my sickness. “Is tha’ so? Care ta explain, then, why I’m ‘ere?”_

_“I think you know why,” she commented slyly. Man, I hated this thing. If I was right, I was here because of Ichigo. With the silhouette calling me, there was almost no doubt. “You’re right.” Ugh, I really hated her. “I called you because of Ichigo. His power is growing. Soon you will no longer be able to protect him.” I laughed. When I have I ever been able to protect him? I was too sick when I was a kid, and when I got better I was never there. It seemed hopeless to try to protect him, but there was one last thing I was good for._

_The silhouette held its silence until then, and broke it with “Then you are aware of what you need to do? Soon, you will be of no use to Ichigo.” I bit my lip to keep from responding. Although it made me mad, the silhouette was right. Once that happened, I looked at Daiyu floating in the lake below, there would be no use for me._

_“Is tha’ all ya wanted? I got better things ta do than play ‘round with ya’ll.”The silhouette shook it’s head and turned on its heel, walking into the trees. I suppose that thing just dismissed me. Tch. Ayama, though, hadn’t had enough of me. She jumped at me, hugging me._

_“No! Ya haven’t come ta play wit’ me in so long, Amaya!” I hugged the playful girl. I suppose I hadn’t, but it wasn’t like I existed to play with fragments of myself. It was kind of creepy, to put it bluntly._

_I pushed Ayama off of me, “No need ta worry. I gotta feelin’ tha’ I’ll be wakin’ Daiyu up soon, ‘n’ playin’ wit’ ya.” Ayama pouted again, but accepted my excuse. It wasn’t a lie either, even though I wished it was. Satisfied that the two would leave me alone, I closed my eyes._

 


	6. That Pervert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have finally come to the point that I'm searching for a writing partner. As in someone to exchange works with and we can beta read each other. I don't just want someone for this work, but a long-term partner. Who's as serious about a dedicated schedule as I am. Honestly, though, I have no idea where to start searching. FF.net's forum is just plain confusing. Most other beta reader sites I've been to are focused on finding someone for one story. So, if possible, I'd appreciate any tips for searching for a partner. Since I don't have anyone else to beta read my stuff, the best I can do is edit my own work. That works fine with grammar or spelling mistakes, but there are just some things I can't see because it's my story. Again, let me know if you have any ideas for someone I can ask or where to search.

 

There was the faint buzz of someone talking through the walls. Not yet opening my eyes, I focused on the voice, hearing Urahara. “And welcome,” if I tried really hard I could make out what he was saying, “Miss Kuchiki.” Ah. So Rukia was here. “We just happened to get new stock from there yesterday. What are you in the market for today?” I didn’t much care for what Rukia was buying—I would find out later, most likely—so I opened my eyes.

Minori was passed out besides me, so I got up as quietly as possible to not disturb her. Just how long was I out? Checking myself, I could still feel the vestiges of the illness, but it was quickly passing through my system. It seemed like the silhouette woman was actually helping. For once.

Everything hurt as I got up, and I was still wobbly. The yukata, thin and white, was sweaty and loose. Minori better have been the one to change me, or else Urahara was going to get a good punch in to his face. Just as I was leaving the room, I ran into Ururu. “Oh! Sorry Amaya!”

I grunted, it was harder to stand than I thought it would be. “Nah. It’s fine Ururu. Grabbin’ somethin’ fer the Soul Reaper?” Ururu nodded and excused herself. I stumbled after her, stopping right before I entered the shop. It would be very inconvenient if Rukia saw me hanging around at Urahara’s shouten. As the door slid closed, I leaned against the wall right next to it and slid down. With my ear head pressed against the wall, I could hear Urahara and Rukia’s conversation much easier now.

“This was the only kind you could get?” Rukia’s voice was all no-nonsense, so much unlike how she was at school. Urahara not able to get exactly what his client wanted? Unusual. Not impossible, just improbable. So, the Soul Reaper probably just asked for something difficult to obtain.

“Don’t say that,” Urahara carried out his words longer than they needed to be. “Even that gave me a hard time. It _is_ second most popular.” Really now, just what did the girl want in the first place? “But more importantly,” I probably should stop listening to their conversation, but I am a tried and true shameless eavesdropper, “You can’t pretend forever.” Ouch. I hated it when Urahara used that voice.

“I know.” Ah. Rukia was kind of like me; too damn stubborn to turn away even though we both waltzed right into death. I heard the door to the shop slid open and closed, and felt Rukia leaving.

Once she was gone, the door at my side slid open. Looking up, I saw Urahara smiling down at me. I grinned right back and waved weakly. “I would ask if you were feeling better, Amaya, but you’re sitting on the floor.” I stuck my tongue out at him and stuck my arm out, expecting Urahara to help me up.

As expected, Urahara grasped my wrist and pulled me to my feet with no problem. It was mildly upsetting, since I wasn’t much shorter than him and I was essentially all muscle. I had to lean heavily against him, but it didn’t make a difference to Urahara. “It’s kinda sad,” my voice was still raspy, “I was righ’ next ta ‘er, ‘n’ she didn’t even sense me. ‘N she’s supposed ta protect Karakura?” Urahara chuckled. We both knew it was his fault she was so weak, I just didn’t know why.

As if he could read my mind, Urahara took me to the dining room, a single tray of food waiting for me. Tessai probably just put it out, once he realized I was awake. I ate quickly, surprised at how hungry I was. Putting down my chopsticks, I gulped down the water by my food. I looked up at Urahara. “Just how long was I out?”

“A full day.” Good thing I finished my food first, since I choked on my spit. A full day? I wasn’t even in my mind for an hour! Ugh. That shadow bitch was going to get it. Still, I felt much better with food in my stomach. “You should probably sleep for a bit more, Amaya.”

No way, I may sleep most of the day away on a normal day, but I just spent an entire day sleeping. I wanted to move! I stood up more smoothly this time, that food helped a lot. “Nah. I’m goin’ ta school. Later, Urahara.” Sighing, Urahara shrugged and just waved me off. Really, he knew me too well.

* * *

 

Minori and I were getting out our lunches when I felt an odd presence. She was still mad at me for coming to school even though I was sick, so Minori was pouting away beside me. I reached out with my energy to figure out what the problem was, and was surprised to feel a gikongan, soul candy. It had been a while since I felt a replacement soul, so I didn’t recognize it right away. Rukia probably had Ichigo use it to leave his body. When I heard an uproar from that general direction, I immediately got up to go check it out. Feeling a gikongan and then hearing that, there was probably something going on.

I entered Class 3, only seeing Ichigo standing on a windowsill and all of class 3’s backs. “How did you get up here just now?” That was Tatsuki, I pushed my way through the crowd to stand next to her. Ichigo had an odd look on his face, plus Tatsuki’s question. So it was probably the gikongan I was looking at. I thought those things were supposed to prevent an uproar, not cause one.

“How?” The false soul in Ichigo’s body leaned forward with a creepy smile on his face. “You saw didn’t you?” Oh, what the hell? Don’t tell me he jumped up? What was wrong with the soul Ichigo used? “I jumped up.” No. No, no, no. A headache already began forming at my temples. This was going to get really annoying. “I’m amazing, right? You’re shocked, right?”

It was obvious Tatsuki could feel something wrong, since she was protecting Orihime with a stern expression settled across her face. Some guys started arguing behind us, but I didn’t pay much attention to them. All of my attention was for the idiot possessing my brother’s body. It started looming closer, skeevy eyes scanning the girls. Please, don’t let it do what I think it’s thinking of doing… Ichigo’s eyes landed on Orihime, gluing onto her… chest. My eye started twitching and I couldn’t stop it. Now that I was sure this thing was a pervert, I was on guard and ready to kick the crap out of it.

“Pleasure to meet you, beautiful young lady.” He grasped Orihime’s hand and began stroking her hair before Tatsuki or I could react. “Won’t you please tell me your name?” He kissed Orihime’s hand, shocking all the women in the room. Tatsuki grappled a hold on him and began pulling him away, while I stepped in front of Orihime to protect her. Since this wasn’t Ichigo, Tatsuki wouldn’t be able to hold him long.

“Ichigo,” she began scolding him, “do you realize what you’re doing? You can’t just pass it off as a joke!” Well, she wasn’t actually speaking to Ichigo, anyway. Not that she knew that.

He bent back awkwardly, his face very close to Tatsuki’s. “Now that I look closer, you’re pretty cute too.” Now all the girls were scandalized. Right after, everything went really crazy and Tatsuki got a hold of a desk, which should never be allowed again, and threw it at Ichigo. She kept grabbing desks and throwing them, Ichigo dodging them all.

“What the heck? Don’t get so upset over a kiss on the cheek.” This headache… “What are you, a third grader?” Tatsuki ran at him with a desk held over her head. We all just watched, shocked, as Tatsuki chased Ichigo around. There was no way I was stepping in the way of that.

The door slammed open, revealing Rukia, and she shouted, “That’s enough!” The gikongan began running away, so Rukia shouted out a warning to the real Ichigo. Ichigo stood in the way of the gikongan’s escape, so it started fighting. To everyone else it looked like he was kicking the air, but I could see him pushing Ichigo back. My eyes narrowed, oh hell no. Ichigo grabbed its leg and began talking, confused, to it. I didn’t waste my chance.

I rushed towards the false Ichigo and sent a flying kick towards its head. Neither Ichigo expected it, and they both barely dodged it. Now I stood between both, further blocking the soul’s exit. “I suggest ya calm yer ‘appy ass down, Ichigo. Yer gonna get it fer this.” He cocked his head as he looked at me. I could see thoughts scrolling through his mind, and I got ready.

“Hey! You’re kinda cute too!”

…

What?

Did he just-?

I stood frozen. But the gikongan rushed towards me, breaking me out of the well of disgust. I allowed him to take my hand so I could jump up and send a flying kick towards him. Again, the gikongan ducked, and my foot cracked through the black board in front of the class. Thoroughly destroying the wall, I completed the spin and settled on my feet. The gikongan wasn’t expecting me, supposedly a normal human, to have that much power. “Yer… dead.” Now he believed me. Where he was pushing Ichigo back, I was doing better. No one was going to beat me at hand to hand, especially not some fake soul that wasn’t even in its own body.

Fake Ichigo dodged a few of my kicks here and there, and barely scraped by the others. I was going easy, since it _was_ Ichigo’s body. I couldn’t afford to break every bone he had. If I did that, they would still be broken when he got back in his own body, so I was being as careful as I could.

“What kind of brute are you?” He flew back as one of my kicks grazed him, coughing at the impact.

I bounced on my feet from my spot and answered, “Callin’ yer sister a brute. How mean ‘Ichigo.’” He stood up and glanced between Ichigo, Rukia, and me. What was he about to do? Grinning, Fake Ichigo saluted the three of us.

“Later!” Damn! Before any of us could stop him, the body thief jumped out the window, leaving the entire class in silence. I grit my teeth, wondering what to do, but noticed a burning at the back of my neck. Turning, I saw Rukia watching me closely. One would think, once she found out seeing spirits ran in the family, that she’d write off her suspicions about me. I couldn’t even understand why she had suspicions.

We didn’t have time for this. That idiotic soul was potentially wreaking havoc in a wider range than we could contain. Rukia seemed to have the same thoughts as me and rushed to the window, just in time to see the fake soul run off. “What the hell’s going on? What the hell is he?” Ichigo blocked my view.

Rukia, however, was lost in her own thoughts. “He couldn’t be… No, he is, without a doubt. He’s… a modified soul!” Then we definitely couldn’t waste time pretending I had no spiritual awareness. Ichigo jumped from the window to follow after it, while Rukia and I had to take the long way around.

As we were running, Rukia decided to finally ask me whatever bothered her, “you can see spirits, Miss Kurosaki?” I snorted. That wasn’t already obvious?

“Of course! I’ve seen ‘em longer ‘n’ better ‘an Ichigo. Call me Amaya, it’s a pain ta say ‘Miss Kurosaki.’”

I reached for Ichigo, since he ran ahead of us. I pointed Rukia in the right direction once we left the school building, and she followed me without question. “So, how long have you known?”

I wasn’t quite willing reveal everything so I feigned ignorance. “Known what?”

“That Ichigo’s a Soul Reaper!” Just how much was this girl going to reveal? Of course, if she thought I already knew, then I could forgive the slip. Still, I didn’t want her to know that she was right.

“He’s a what? What the hell’s a Soul Reaper?” This was so not the day to be running after a mod soul and a Soul Reaper. I could feel the unnatural heat rising up in my chest again. Minori was going to give me hell for this. We found Ichigo in an abandoned warehouse, looking around for the mod soul. Both of us drew to a stop, barely out of breath. Well, I wasn’t out of breath, but I was sweating. I just kept hating the silhouette woman from my mind even more, didn’t I?

“I lost sight of him… of me.” Ichigo, he’s not you. Just because he’s running around in your body, doesn’t mean he’s you. I sighed. Not that Ichigo would ever acknowledge that very important piece of knowledge.

“You’ve got a moratorium.” I wasn’t sure if Rukia was joking because she was dead serious. Ichigo turned and glared at the woman much shorter than both of us.

“What? This ain’t the time for incomprehensible jokes!” He pointed an accusing finger at Rukia, not noticing me standing right next to her at all. “I’ve gotta be-What’s Amaya doing here?” I waved.

“I can see ya, ya idiot. What’re ya doin’ in that ridiculous get-up?” Ichigo took a second to stop freaking out.

“I’ll tell ya later. Right now, we need to have him caught! You saw the chaos in that classroom too, didn’t you?” I sensed another freakout on Ichigo’s part, so I stepped out of the building for some quiet. Once outside, I searched for the mod soul. It was harder to sense anything with Ichigo nearby, and his power messing with my own. I found it though, so I stepped back inside. It had grown quiet between the two, so I figured Ichigo was quite finished making a big deal out of nothing.

“You… You called him a modified soul.” Thank you for reminding me Ichigo. If I didn’t know what Soul Reapers were, I wouldn’t know what a modified soul was, either.

I stepped up to them again. “Yes. Ya ‘ave a lotta explainin’ ta do. So, please tell.”

Rukia grew very serious, and I was torn between feigning interest or being openly bored. “Once, in Soul Society, a plan called Spearhead was brought up.”

“Spearhead?” Ichigo was showing all the interest so I didn’t have to. Yes!

“Yes. Into the soul-less body of a dead person, a soul specialized for battle was injected.” Even now, I still thought that sounded messed. I could sympathize with efficiency, but using dead people just struck me as really gross. “And it was to be used as an anti-Hollow soldier. It was a worthless plan.” As so many plans by the Soul Reapers were.

“For that plan,” Rukia sat down and started drawing. Now I didn’t have to feign interest, since I wanted to know what she was drawing up. “What they developed was… a battle ready soul… designed to be able to endow some part of the body with superhuman power.” Ichigo and I looked over her shoulder, to see a weird drawing. It looked like… a funky bear lifting a basketball? “Just by injecting it.” She showed off the other one, another funky bear with spirals for legs. I guessed it was supposed to be running?

The third picture was even weirder—or was it third and fourth? She flipped through two different pages, back and forth. That one was of a ghost bear flexing its muscles, with the writing “modified soul” across both pages. “That’s what the mod soul is.” Yeah. I knew that, but somehow her drawings just really confused me. “You understand so far, right?” No.

Ichigo answered, “Yeah…” How? Does Rukia do this often? “Though, ‘cause of those drawings, the moment’s tension is all gone.” I would have figured the tension was dissipated when Ichigo had some problem with his, what was it, “image being ruined.” Rukia promptly beat Ichigo up and drew spirals on his face. Right. So don’t insult the Soul Reaper’s crappy drawings. Note taken.

“Actually,” Rukia kept going finally, “because of the inhumanity of making dead bodies fight… Spearhead was rejected. And simultaneously, all the modified souls in development at the time were ordered to be scrapped. But who knew there was one left.” Yep. Great. One mod soul left, and it was a pervert.

“Which means what? He was created for Soul Society’s convenience…” Ichigo started wiping the red spirals off his face, finally. “and erased for Soul Society’s convenience.” Of course my brother would sympathize with the thing.

“That’s one way of putting it.” Oh, it was. It was the sap’s way of putting it.

“And you’re satisfied with that?” Ichigo began yelling at Rukia’s indifference.

I stepped in, “Ichigo, there’s nothin’ we can do ‘bout that. The mod soul is running ‘round wit’ yer face causin’ chaos. We need ta stop it. Ya can discuss the ethics of it all once we’ve caught it.”

Ichigo quieted down, but apparently Rukia wasn’t satisfied with my answer. “The issue’s not being satisfied or not.” If she kept going, Rukia was going to step on a touchy subject for me. “Mod souls have to be scrapped. That is the law of Soul Society.” I had to fight my hardest not to let my anger show. Just like the Soul Reapers to be so absolutely certain of their laws even when it killed them. Jiro was exactly the same, and now he was dead because he believed so much in the laws of his precious Soul Society!

I bit my cheek, not able to calm down until I tasted the iron of blood flood my tongue. “And don’t forget…” Rukia really need to shut up _now_. “Soul Society’s laws… are laid down to protect you humans’ souls. Now let’s go!” Ichigo was shocked, if the look on his face was any indication. I hated Soul Society for their laws, I understood them, and I hated them.

They were cold, cruel. With no exceptions or changes, and they perfectly suited the unreasonable Soul Reapers. I learned my lesson years ago. Ichigo would soon learn his, if he was smart anyway.

I sighed. There wasn’t much of a chance of Ichigo learning. He was something of a humanitarian, and held high hopes for everyone. No matter how hard he tried to pretend, I knew Ichigo. For now, though, we needed to deal with this problem.

“You want your body back don’t you?” Ichigo couldn’t argue with Rukia, so he just started running off. Rukia followed close behind him, and I stayed rooted to my spot, watching their backs trail further away. My sun kept getting further and further away. 


	7. Lost Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a question for you guys. Since this story is already finished, and I just can't find a beta at all, all those chapters are just waiting. Would you like me to post them as I edit what little mistakes I can see with my biased eye, or just keep posting one chapter a week? Please let me know.

 

I shook my head of those thoughts. I couldn’t change anything about it, and there was no point getting depressed. Ichigo and Rukia hadn’t gotten very far, so I just sprinted towards them to catch up.

“Created against his will…” Of course I made it right on time for Ichigo to go on another sympathy trip. Weren’t we all technically created against our will? “Ordered to be killed against his will… Then somehow he survives, and now finally gets a body.”

“Tha’s ridiculous Ichigo.” Ichigo glared back at me. “Think ‘bout it. He couldn’t even exist ‘less he wasn’t takin’ someone else’s chance at life. It’s yer body, ‘n’ there’s nothing ta do ‘bout it. Unless ya wanna wander ‘round as a spirit fer the rest of yer life?”

“How must that feel, though?” I rolled my eyes. It seemed like Ichigo was bound and determined to beat himself up over nothing. Nothing I could say would ever make him stop. So I shut my mouth and kept running after him. A flare of energy nearby, thankfully Ichigo was running in the right direction, alerted Rukia and Ichigo to the mod soul’s location.

We arrived just in time for Ichigo to stop it from kicking some kids to death. Well, Ichigo arrived. Rukia and I had to take the slow route because we were in weak human bodies. This time, Ichigo nicely avoided the fake soul’s kicks and held his own just fine. “If I calm down,” Ichigo began speaking to the mod soul, “your moves are easy to dodge.” Ichigo picked his body up and threw it. Once up, the mod soul ran away.

Apparently I was the only one who remembered there were people around, because Rukia yelled for Ichigo to stop. Did they not realize it looked like she was talking to herself? “We’ve got an order.” Rukia opened a cellphone, surprising me. They couldn’t sense the Hollows by themselves?

Ichigo did as told and turned, annoyed, on Rukia. “What? At a time like this?” I know. Such a shame Hollows weren’t considerate.

“A Hollow’s going to appear. It’s close!” So Rukia still couldn’t sense the Hollows by herself. Urahara really needed to stop messing around and let the Soul Reaper girl regain her power and go back to Soul Society. If she stayed in the living world much longer, the repercussions would be… annoying.

“Ah! Damnit! Let’s go!” They ran off again, with no direction. However, I could sense the Hollow closer than that. Rukia paused to look back at me.

“Aren’t you following, Amaya?” I shook my head. Since I didn’t want to blow my cover, I couldn’t explain that we were already right where we needed to be.

At the very least, I could keep things under control until they figured out where the Hollow was. “Nah. It’s exhaustin’ runnin’ after ya two. I’ll jus’ stay somewhere ‘round here. C’mon back when yer done.” Rukia nodded and left to catch up with Ichigo. What idiots. Running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They really needed to figure out a better way to check for Hollows.

Seeing as I was the only one left with the kids, I waved at them and walked off. Technically, I was still in a school, while school was in session. If any of the teachers saw me, they’d probably call the police on me or something. I waited just outside the school gate for the Hollow to show. Once I was standing still, though, I could feel the dredges of my illness threatening to invade again. Plus, I was in my normal body without the gloves Urahara gave me to fight Hollows when I couldn’t leave my body. The best I could do was stall the Hollow until Rukia and Ichigo arrived; great. I was going to die.

I suddenly felt the darkness of a Hollow nearby, and I began running back into the school. It was closing in on those three kids that saw Fake Ichigo earlier. Jumping into the air, I spun for a roundhouse kick, seeing the mod soul on the other side. At the same time, we kicked the Hollow off course, but it still landed right behind the kids, knocking them from their feet.

“Just fer now,” I glared at the mod soul, “I’ll let ya be. We gotta take care ‘o this nuisance.” Fake Ichigo nodded, agreeing with me. I was surprised though. I would have thought it would let the Hollow eat those kids. So, the programming worked on the mod souls. That… was kind of sad.

We both charged the Hollow, and I could see it damage Ichigo’s body. That idiot! It wasn’t like he was staying in it. I landed another kick, sending the Hollow skidding back a few yards. Try as I might, though, I couldn’t stay close enough. The Hollow chased me with long, red tentacles, forcing me to back away. It was easy enough to dodge, me being as light on my feet as I was, but hard to attack.

Thoroughly irked, I dropped to the ground in a negativa, and completed it with a leg sweep, knocking all of the tentacles out of my way for a moment’s reprieve. A moment was all I needed. I brought myself up and quickly closed in on the Hollow with cartwheels, ending with a diagonal front handspring. Just as I was about to deliver Meia Lua De Compasso Dupla with all of my strength, the fake Ichigo drew the Hollow away and up to the roof. I let out a few choice curses as my feet landed back on the ground and I stood up.

No other choice remaining, I ran into the school building, aiming for the roof. I was going to be so pissed if he wasn’t still there when I got there.

“Damnit, you’re injured!” I opened the door to the roof, seeing Ichigo gripping Fake Ichigo’s uniform shirt. “Who the hell’s body do you think that is?” I was actually a little surprised that Ichigo found his way to the Hollow so fast. He still would have been too late if the mod soul and I hadn’t been here, but that was beside the point. “If you’re gonna let a small fry like this bloody you up…” they both turned to look at the Hollow. The centipede-like Hollow was still laying in the middle of the roof. Just what had Ichigo done to it? “Don’t even _try_ to fight!” Yeah. He sure talked big for someone who got injured practically every time he fought.

“What’re you talking about!” The fake Ichigo was shouting back at Ichigo. It was all well and good they were arguing so good-natured, but there _was_ a Hollow a few feet away. Why didn’t they just take care of it while it was down? Idiots. “I’m fighting because _you_ took so damn long to get here!” Hear, hear.

Either way, I leaned against the wall, I didn’t need to deal with the Hollow anymore. My fever was coming back with a vengeance, and it seemed like the world was against me standing on my own. “Shut up!” The Hollow got up and started towards the two idiots, “You call yourself a battle soul? You’re pathetic.” Ichigo would pick now to argue over something like that.

“You sons of bitches!” The Hollow spoke. Joy. Still arguing, the two didn’t even pay attention as the Hollow drew near, but, right before it attacked, they paused long enough to stop it. Fake Ichigo kicked the Hollow, and Ichigo slashed it across the mask, effectively killing it. However, it’s corpse, before dissipating, almost flew over the roof, and Fake Ichigo ran towards it and kicked it into the air. The Hollow disappeared, but Fake Ichigo was falling over the roof. Ichigo, caring very much for his body like he should, barely caught his body before it fell out of reach.

“You dumbass!” Ichigo was back to yelling at Fake Ichigo, “Look at the risk you took! If you break the Hollow’s head, it’ll disappear on its own! But you just had to kick it up…” Ichigo stopped scolding the mod soul, looking very surprised. He probably saw those kids on the ground that the mod soul saved.

Ichigo pulled his body up and they both calmed down. The mod soul squatted to the ground as Ichigo stood just behind him. “Didn’t you hate those kids?” Ugh. Didn’t he ever stop talking? I stood up, I didn’t want to suffer their moment any longer. Just as I was about to leave, I was stopped by Urahara. It was about time he showed up.

“Amaya,” Urahara froze when he saw me but smiled once he gathered himself, “what’re you doing here?”

I sighed, “Nothin’, apparently. Don’ say ya know me. They still don’ know.” Nodding, Urahara playfully pressed his finger to his lips and walked past me. Tessai, though, noticed immediately that I wasn’t in top shape. He forced me to stay still long enough to check me over.

“Miss Kurosaki, you just got over your illness. Please refrain from pushing yourself.” I groaned and dropped my face into my hand. Minori was going to be so annoying! She probably wouldn’t let me out of her sight for weeks after this whole ordeal.

“Well, well,” Urahara brought the two boys’ attention to himself. “I finally find you, but you’re all torn up.” He casually walked up to the two, eyes only on the mod soul. “Now all the equipment I brought is pretty much useless.” Equipment? I looked at Ururu and Jinta, just noticing them after Urahara said that. Both were carrying their weapons. Although they looked like kids, and acted like it, they were pretty strong. Jinta sported something like a paddle, that he often used like it was a baseball bat. Ururu’s weapon was taller than she was and was wrapped from top to bottom in bandages.

Urahara knocked Benihime, his zanpakto hidden in the cane he carried everywhere, through Fake Ichigo’s forehead, forcing the pill-like fake soul out of Ichigo’s body. “Collection complete.” Still, Urahara didn’t pay Ichigo any mind. Poor Ichigo; he was probably confused as all hell. Holding the mod soul, Urahara turned to the other three residents of his shouten, “Let’s go home, everyone.”

“What?” Jinta wasn’t pleased. Ha. When was he ever pleased, actually? “What the hell, I thought I was finally gonna get to battle again.” Ichigo tried to stop Urahara with a weak “hey.”

“Wait a sec.” He stepped closer to Urahara, and the older soul reaper paused and looked at Ichigo. “What’re you gonna do with him?” Urahara looked very apathetic as he looked behind him, at Ichigo, never turning fully to face my brother.

“Well, I’m going to destroy it…” Did he have to say it like that? Now Ichigo wouldn’t just let it go.

“You can see me, can’t you.” No Ichigo. He’s just talking to himself, and he collected the mod soul with no trouble at all. He can’t see you. Nope. Just what did I do to deserve such a slow twin? “What are you?” Now that was just rude. Normal humans could see spirits. Not that Urahara was a normal human.

“You ask me ‘what,’ but-“ he continued to play with the pill and threw it in the air. Rukia took the chance to snatch it out of the air, making Urahara stop talking. What were these two doing? A mod soul should be destroyed, didn’t they realize that? That was the law of Rukia’s precious Soul Society, so she shouldn’t let her sympathy get in the way of that.

“He’s a greedy merchant.” Rukia answered Ichigo’s question herself. Hey, hey. He was _not_.

Urahara pouted and added in, “You’re not supposed to take that.” Rukia just stared blankly at him, feigning innocence.

“What’s this, Urahara?” Rukia started playing with the freaking pill, throwing it and catching it over and over again. “Your store takes back sold merchandise without returning any money?” Urahara paused. Crap, she did have a point.

“Well,” Urahara sounded like he didn’t really care either way, “I guess I have no choice. I’ll refund you.” Ah. He was a joker, but he did take his duties seriously.

“Not necessary.” Argh! Did Ichigo rub off on Rukia? Was idiocy actually contagious? I sighed, no, but idealism was. They just _had_ to go crazy over the ethics over the whole thing. “I’m satisfied with this product.” How so? All it did was make us all go running around. “And in the first place, you people are acting outside of the spirit laws. You’re not obligated to go that far to retrieve this thing.” Did she not realize what she was doing to herself? Rukia was practically signing her death sentence, if she kept breaking the laws of Soul Society!

Urahara couldn’t argue with her, though, since she did have a point. “It’s out of my hands then. If trouble comes up, we’ll be going into hiding.”

“Don’t worry,” Rukia turned away from Urahara. “Lately, I’ve become used to trouble.” She calmly walked over to Ichigo and handed him the mod soul.

“That’s all well ‘n’ good.” Everyone’s eyes turned to me. Did they really forget I was here? Ah. That kind of hurt. “But, would ya care ta explain somethin’ fer me, Miss Kuchiki?” Rukia looked shocked.

“Oh yes! You probably don’t understand what that all was!” Rukia quickly walked up to me, as if she was going to explain with those crappy drawings again. I backed away, wary. That wasn’t even—a flash went off in my face and I couldn’t keep my body from dropping.

* * *

 

When I woke up, I was pissed. She tried to use a memory modifier on me! Luckily, since I had very strong spirit energy as well, it didn’t work other than knocking me out. They took me back to school, since Ichigo didn’t know where I lived, and Minori took me to the shouten. Maybe I should just tell her to get rid of the apartment since we practically lived with Urahara at this point.

“You’re not going to try something like go get more sick are you?” I looked over to the door where Urahara was leaning against the frame.  I didn’t sense Minori anywhere nearby, which was strange.

“No…” I checked my plain black watch, scowling, “no point if I’m just gonna skip school right?” Urahara hummed in thought and came in, settling cross-legged next to me.

It was getting annoying that I kept sleeping away days at a time. Waking up on this day was no better. June 17. The day Masaki died. Ichigo was undoubtedly skipping school as well, going with the rest of our family to visit her grave. I never went. Not once. I don’t have the right.

“Ah. It’s that time of year again isn’t it?” Urahara knew, and he leaned back. “There’s something different this year, though, right? Maybe,” he rested his chin on his hand, “you should visit her.” It was unlike Urahara to try to get me to go. He should know I planned on never going.

He tapped his fan to my forehead. “What’re ya doin’ Hat-‘n’-Clogs?” Urahara smiled at me. What was up with him? Seriously.

“You can’t stay stuck in the middle for much longer.” I stopped breathing. He was right. There was no way Soul Society wouldn’t send for Rukia Kuchiki soon, and, when they did, I would have to make my decision. Side with Soul Society, or… It was a decision I didn’t want to make. But, I couldn’t understand what that had to do with Masaki. Urahara seemed to read my mind, since he answered, “It may be the last chance you get. It may even help you make your decision.” I groaned and fell back to the futon, frustrated. He had a point. Why did he have to have a point.

“Fine.” I threw the covers off, purposely throwing them over Urahara. “I’ll go. Just this once. Never again.” Urahara chuckled and pulled the blanket off his head. He hid his face behind his fan, only his shadowed eyes showing between his hat and fan.

“Come eat breakfast with us before you go!” I threw my pillow at him to hurry him out of my room, and Urahara ran away laughing. On top of today being my least favorite day of the year, Urahara was making me go to my least favorite place. Masaki… was a sore subject for me…

Once dressed in jeans and a loose tank top, I joined them all for breakfast, unable to bring myself to argue with Jinta as usual. Minori was worried, of course, but I waved her off. I ate quickly, trying to get out of there quickly. The faster I went, the faster I could come back. When I stood up, Minori made to stand up too.

I stopped her with an upraised hand, “Nah. Ya don’ haveta come wit’ me. Jus’ stay ‘ere and I’ll see ya when I come back.” I didn’t expect Minori to obey, since she was probably worried about me getting sick again. However, Minori nodded with a tight smile and sat back down.

“Alright. Take care Amaya.” Huh. It looked like Minori agreed with Urahara about me going to the grave. I shook my head, there was no point thinking about it now. I agreed to go, so I might as well go. Maybe if I hurried, I could get there before Isshin, Yuzu, Karin, and Ichigo. Saying goodbye to all of them, I left the shouten and started jogging towards the cemetery.


	8. June 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to just continue updating weekly, since I just like having something to post once a week. It's actually pretty awesome, since there will definitely come a time when I don't really have time to write full chapters, or I'll get really bad writer's block and only write a hundred words a day. So, that's why I'll just continue posting this once a week, except for holidays. Just in case. To be safe. You never know right? Seriously though, the temptation to just post it all was so strong, since I can't wait to hear what you all think of the whole story.

I made it to the cemetery at around the same time all of them did. They were trekking up the long hill beneath me, joking and going on about nothing. Joining me on the top of the hill, was Rukia. I couldn’t understand why Ichigo would bring Rukia along on a day like this, but I soon learned she invited herself. Well, not that I could say anything for or against her. I never even visited Masaki’s grave.

Karin kicked Isshin all the way down the hill because he was acting like a freak as per usual, and they didn’t see us until a few moments later. Ichigo started acting weirdly, apparently it runs in the male genes in the family to be a freak. He quickly ran up the hill and yanked Rukia right past me, barely acknowledging I was there. Yuzu and Karin, on the other hand, walked a little faster to join me.

“Amaya!” Karin hugged me then stepped back, smirking. “So, do you know about Ichigo’s girlfriend?” Oh. So they thought Rukia was Ichigo’s girlfriend. Wow. How cute. Maybe I should pretend I think that too.

I shrugged though, “She’s jus’ a weird classmate ‘e hangs ‘round sometimes.” Yuzu hugged me as well while arguing with Karin’s assessment of Ichigo’s relationship with the soul reaper. Still arguing, we continued on our way to Masaki’s grave. Ichigo and Isshin would join us eventually.

I sensed a new Soul Reaper just before we reached Masaki’s grave and I gladly bowed out. “Hey, I’m gonna look fer Ichigo ‘n’ his friend. Be righ’ back.” Yuzu pouted but let me go, Karin just frowned. I paused. I suppose they don’t remember that this is my first time visiting her grave. Not even when Masaki died did I come here. I heaved a sigh; I still wasn’t brave enough to face Masaki.

Running off, I felt the new Soul Reaper in the same place as Rukia and Ichigo, so I began running off the path. Rukia still didn’t know I knew everything and the memory modifier, that still pisses me off, never worked. It would be stupid to ruin all of that by crashing into her and Ichigo and saying, “Oh, I found ya ‘cause I was sensin’ a Soul Reaper.” Either way, they didn’t go far, so I almost stumbled right over the Soul Reaper.

Wary of his abilities, I tightened the lid on my spirit energy, just in case he could sense some little I couldn’t control. Like me, the new guy was hiding behind a tree, keeping an eye on someone. Well, two someones, my brother and Rukia. With their track record of being watched and never noticing, I was starting to be embarrassed for them. Now I wasn’t the only one following them around.

“Then,” Rukia and Ichigo were apparently talking, “answer me one question. The one who killed your mother…” Did this girl have no tact? Was she an idiot? How dare she bring up Masaki’s death on such a day? My fists clenched and I realized my brows were furrowed so much a headache started forming.

It was bad enough Ichigo blamed himself for that woman’s death, now some idiotic Soul Reaper was going around dredging up past regrets! Brilliant. Give the Soul Reaper a reward for being the most tactless _dumbass_ I had ever had the misfortune of meeting! I clenched and unclenched my hands to keep from punching the tree. Or her. “Wasn’t it a Hollow?” Rukia’s question stalled my anger for a moment. Yes. Ichigo didn’t know that though. Heck, even I didn’t find out until later.

Rukia continued, pushing her point, “There is that possibility. If your spiritual capabilities were such that you were able to see souls since you were so little,” shut up Soul Reaper, or you’re going to dive headfirst onto a landmine, “the Hollow that came after you may have killed your mother by mistake!”

“I can’t take this anymore!” Ichigo shouted, shocked out of the false good mood he had every June 17. Rukia was taken aback, since Ichigo actually yelled right over her. “You’ve got to be kidding. As far as you’re concerned, Hollows are responsible for everything.” Ichigo clenched his fists, and I felt my own anger drain from my muscles. “There was never anything funny about it, but when you give that as a reason for it there isn’t anything that’s less funny!” Ichigo’s face was contorted as the sheer pain he felt forced its way to the surface. It was never Ichigo’s fault, but he blamed himself. And me.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Ichigo began walking towards Rukia, “but you’re way off base. It wasn’t a Hollow or anything. The one who killed my mom… was me.” No, Ichigo, but there are no comforts I could give you. After all, I can only imagine how you feel. If you, my sun, died…

Ichigo ran away, leaving Rukia shouting after him. The Soul Reaper stayed, so he was keeping an eye on Rukia. Damn. That time came sooner than I thought. I should have figured when I noticed he was here, but like a naïve idiot… Again, one more thing I can’t protect Ichigo from. I just hope he doesn’t do something as stupid as I did.

Rukia, instead of following Ichigo, went off on her own. There was a ledge not far away looking across the cemetery, and she settled down, staring aimlessly. Both the Soul Reaper and I followed, keeping our spirit energy in check. “’I killed my mom?’” So, she was stuck on what Ichigo said. I suppose anyone would be; it was a strange think to just go around shouting. “What an idiot I am…” Yep. It’s good that you noticed, Rukia. I, as quietly as possible, leaned against a tree.

“Hey, Rukia,” A small orange arm stuck out of Rukia’s bag. What the hell was that? Right after, a stuffed lion jumped out, sighing. Please don’t tell me Rukia and Ichigo put the mod soul in a stuffed animal. That was the only explanation I could think of. Unless suddenly stuffed lions were given crazy new mechanics. Just how much of a headache were these two planning on giving me?

“What is it, Kon?” They named him too? “Didn’t I tell you not to come out until I called you?” I barely resisted loosing another sigh, these two would be the death of me.

“But,” the stuffed lion started waving itself, “Rukia, it’s pretty hot in there. I can’t take it. Can’t we go home yet?” How could he say it was hot? Stuffed animals didn’t have the necessary parts to sense temperature. Of course, it was strange he was moving at all without muscles and whatnot.

Rukia didn’t move, “Didn’t I tell you? We’ve got to stay near him, or we’ll be too late if a Hollow makes an appearance.” Well, at least she was consistent.

“That’s all you think about! Hollow, Hollow, Hollow! Listen, if your job is all you think about, you’re going to lose all your friends!” Rukia stood and the stuffed lion fell out of her bag with a surprised yelp. He somehow crawled back up to the bag, apologizing, “I-I’m sorry. Are you mad?” Rukia shook her head, and continued staring ahead.

Then, the Soul Reaper loosed more of his spirit energy so Rukia could finally sense him. Surprised, she spun to stare out towards the forest. Kon asked what had her so jumpy, and, instead of replying, Rukia began walking towards the Soul Reaper. She finally laid eyes on him some distance in. He was comfortably resting against a tree, waiting for her to come to him.

“Hm…” he stretched and Rukia jumped back, wary, “I sure slept well… Huh?” The male Soul Reaper finally looked Rukia’s way, acting surprised to see her. Great, a funny guy. “Good morning!” What was good about this morning?

“You!” The mod soul fell from Rukia’s back again.

The Soul Reaper rolled to his feet, making what certainly took some strength look easy. “I get nothing but these trying missions, you see. I can’t keep them up unless I get plenty of sleep.” I sensed the mod soul run away.

“Mission… you said?” So Rukia would play innocent. I was starting to think she didn’t really believe in the laws of Soul Society. The male, his grip suspiciously on his zanpakto, grinned at Rukia. “Just who are you?” Instead of questioning her stupidity, I should just decide on it. This whole charade was getting tiring. “Answer the question.” It was strange, shouldn’t Rukia know just what this Soul Reaper was doing here?

“It’s been a while…” He finally spoke, “The name Rukia Kuchiki was famous back at the Soul Reaper Academy. Adopted into the noble Kuchiki family…” Wow. Only adopted? She reminded me of that man so much. “You were known as the ‘Princess from the Rukon district.’ Oh,” his tone turned even more playful, “and I’m Eikichiro Saidoh. I was two years ahead of you. You remember me, don’t you?” Was he seriously pretending he came here for a class reunion? “Come on! I was pretty popular too!” With that face? “People used to call me ‘that funny guy.’ See?” He leaned in Rukia’s face, as if that would help her “remember” him.

“I don’t remember you.” Rukia was completely serious, and staring straight ahead.

Saidoh seemed shocked, and he backed away from the cold Soul Reaper he was here to collect. “R-Really?” Like he didn’t expect that. “Oh well,” he pulled himself straight and finally started getting serious. Hopefully he stayed that way. “Anyway,” Rukia backed away on guard for some reason, “I have a few questions for you.”

Finally, Rukia asked the question she should have started with, “Are you from Stealth Force?”

Saidoh’s hat opened show a congratulatory sign as he shouted, “Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ta-dah! You are correct!” What an idiot.

Rukia looked disturbed as she shouted at him, “Quit fooling around! What is it you want?” She had to ask?

“They’re getting pretty irritated over there.” Saidoh was finally getting his butt in gear. If he started joking around again I would probably leave. I already knew what he was here for anyway. “They wonder why you haven’t come back.”

Rukia closed her eyes and answered flippantly, “Hollows appear. Orders come in too. That’s why I haven’t gone back. That’s all there is to it.” Too bad she couldn’t pull off that particular lie. Saidoh had already seen her with Ichigo.

“Then why are you dressed like that?” Tch. He was just playing with her. Suddenly, I really didn’t like the new Soul Reaper. Hopefully he would grab Rukia and go soon. Before Ichigo realized he was even around, preferably.

“Dressed? What does it matter how I dress?” Rukia covered herself as if Saidoh was some kind of pervert. Maybe he was, just not the kind Rukia thought he was being.

“Oh well, I guess you’re finally coming of age.” Now that I thought about it, what was “of age” for a Soul Reaper? They were much older than they looked most of the time. At the moment, though, that didn’t much matter.

Rukia, confused, dropped her arms and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t hide it. Don’t hide it.” This conversation was a complete waste of time. Soul Reapers sure liked to beat around the bush. I actually forgot how annoying they all were. “It’s him, isn’t it?” Apparently, Saidoh was in Karakura to have a girl’s talk with Rukia. I slowly sat down, there was no point being so tense if this guy was only going to play around.

I checked for the mod soul, finding it near Ichigo and coming closer. If they didn’t hurry up their conversation, Ichigo would interrupt. “The guy whose mother is said to have been killed by a Hollow.” Saidoh spoke carelessly, but it was obvious he was carefully breaking apart her story. It was a good choice to send him for information; he kept Rukia on her toes, and pulled her into his rhythm. Granted, if his rhythm was any slower, Ichigo would show up. And… completely reveal exactly what Rukia was keeping a secret. Maybe I should go sabotage Ichigo?

“What are you?” Rukia asked Saidoh as if she didn’t know. Geez, this whole conversation made me want to bang my head against the tree. I even almost forgot it was Masaki’s death anniversary. Soul Reapers sure have great timing.

Completely ignoring her question, Saidoh asked, “Is it pity? Or, are you looking for pleasure in the human world?” Ew. But it was in both hers and Ichigo’s best interest if Saidoh thought that was the case.

“It’s none of your business! Shall I sew that mouth of yours shut?!” Saidoh just grinned on through Rukia’s threat, not scared of her in the slightest. Saidoh began going off on a perverted scenario, until Rukia began casting a demon spell, and he backed off.

“No good, huh? Too bad. I thought that would be a good excuse.” Rukia was such an idiot! He practically gave her an out, and she had to let propriety get in the way! She wasn’t just signing her death sentence, she was dooming Ichigo too! “If I don’t get an answer the superiors will be happy with, I’ll have to take you back. Even if I have to drag you.” Please, by all means, take the girl.

“Is that a threat?” Rukia was driving me crazy. “I have no intention of returning for a while.” Wrong answer.

“Now you’ve done it… I have no choice.” Saidoh suddenly got as serious as I’ve seen him get the entire conversation and drew his zanpakto. Ichigo finally made it, shouting Rukia’s name. He had the _worst_ timing. I stood up, prepared to jump in, only if I absolutely needed to.

Ichigo stopped just between the two Soul Reapers, and looked straight at Saidoh, “Hey, who are you?”

“Yo Spikey! You can see me?” Great, we’re about to rehash the same annoying conversation. I would say Isshin was less annoying, but that was a lie, once I considered the two options together.

“Kon,” Ichigo ignored him, “who is this guy?” Like Kon would know.

“How should I know?” He did run off to get Ichigo from the beginning, so he missed the long, boring, conversation between Saidoh and Rukia.

Ichigo picked Kon up by the head, completely ignoring the tension between the soul reapers, “What? You’re the one who said it was an emergency!”

The Soul Reaper pulled Ichigo’s attention back to the situation at hand, “What about you? Who are you?”

“I’m,” Rukia quickly shouted at Ichigo to keep quiet, “I’m a surrogate Soul Reaper!”

My brother was dead… He just killed himself with that line. I pulled myself together. I would just have to kill the Soul Reaper before he got back to Soul Society. Quietly, I began stretching. If nothing else, I would keep Ichigo alive. No matter what I had to do.

“Soul Reaper?” Saidoh was surprised. I just debated how I was going to manage killing him without Daiyu or my gloves. Oh, I could do it. It would just be difficult. “No way… What a stupid joke. That’s too funny.” Saidoh didn’t sound like he thought it was funny. “Really, Rukia Kuchiki… This is a serious crime.”

“A serious crime?” Ichigo was slow on the uptake, to my chagrin. He turned to Rukia, “What’s he talking about?”

Saidoh didn’t care about Ichigo anymore, “Oh well. It’s no fun fighting a stupid gigai, but anyway… Let’s do this, Spiky!” The Soul Reaper threw off his hat, and I tensed, ready to jump in if Ichigo couldn’t handle him. Considering how slow Ichigo was reacting, I was going to have to reveal myself soon. Ichigo barely dodged Saidoh’s swift attacks, running all around.

Finally, he took Kon out of the lion and swallowed the pill, fending off Saidoh with his zanpakto. “Interesting. You transformed, and you’re a human.” This situation was getting worse and worse. Even if Ichigo managed to defeat Saidoh, I knew he wasn’t going to do anything. So, I would have to wait and then get rid of the Soul Reaper. If word got to Soul Society that Ichigo was running around as a surrogate Soul Reaper, and Rukia was the one to turn him into one, they would both die.

“How did you get that ability?” Saidoh asked as he got into stance once more, his swordsmanship much more precise than Ichigo’s.

“As if I’d tell you after attacking me out of the blue!” At least Ichigo had some brain cells. If he told Saidoh, I would have to just leave and never look back.

Rukia ran between the men, trying to stop Ichigo. “Ichigo! Back away! This is my…” Ichigo pushed Rukia out of the way, not letting her convince him not to fight.

“You don’t have your sword,” he pointed out. “What can you do?” I knew Rukia was weak at the moment, but that still must have been quite a blow. Such a responsible woman, who was probably stronger than circumstances let on, was reduced to a weak girl. Now intentionally participating in the fight, Ichigo rushed Saidoh. I felt a Hollow near my sisters and grit my teeth. Could Ichigo handle himself long enough for me to save Yuzu and Karin? I looked at him clashing swords with Saidoh and decided. Yes, he could.

I unscrewed the lid to my energy, hoping the Hollow liked the strength of my power compared to my sisters. Before the Soul Reapers could figure out I was spying on them the whole time, I ran off to find my sisters. I had no doubts that they felt me as soon as my energy started overflowing, like Ichigo’s always did. It was probably suffocating.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amaya really likes to hang around in the background a lot. Oh gosh. Did I make a shadow character? Nah, she has her reasons. She's just really really indecisive so she always ends up standing still. I'm not actually sure I should be telling you guys that. Oh well. Let me know what you think, please!


	9. Grand Fisher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So, you will all be getting four chapters of Night Rain today! Yay! It's actually because I planned on posting one for Christmas Eve, one for Christmas, and my usual Friday one. However, because I didn't post any of those, I added another one as an apology. So, uh, yeah. Four whole chapters. I will probably get back to work on Letters to the Moon starting tomorrow, since I put it to the side to work on An Advent for Christmas. Whew. I'm almost caught up on all my projects. Please excuse my improper writing for a moment. >~> Anyway, if I manage all of that, I can start back up on all my other stories I left off so so long ago... Or even have fun with it all again. You know, relax and just write to write instead of write to finish a long story that sort of goes however it wants. Unfair. All of my characters are so mean to me!

 

Yuzu was floating in the air, struggling against a tentacle-like limb around her throat. Glancing around, I saw Karin crushed to the ground. The Hollow was going on about bait, but then it saw me, sensing my spirit energy roiling about between us. Just… who was the Hollow trying to bait? There was something familiar, too, about this one. I began moving to a silent rhythm, widening my stance to a full ginga. It didn’t matter.

Before I could jump in, Ichigo came from the side and cut the tentacle, freeing Yuzu. The giant Hollow pulled back, holding onto Karin and said, “Good. I still have my hostage. I’ve been waiting for you, Soul Reaper.” It was getting harder and harder to protect Ichigo with more enemies out for his spirit. Ichigo, the inconsiderate bastard, gently laid Yuzu on the ground and scowled at the Hollow.

However, Ichigo froze. Right in front of the Hollow…was the girl Ichigo tried to save the day Masaki died. This wasn’t just any Hollow. This was the one that killed Masaki. I glued my eyes to Ichigo’s back, not caring about either Soul Reaper that came soon after him. With Masaki’s death, I became bitter, but that was because Ichigo pulled away from me. For Ichigo, this Hollow was what ruined his and his family’s life. There was no way he was going to fight calmly and win! I bit my lip so hard it bled and tried to race towards Ichigo’s side, but was stopped by Saidoh.

“Ah. Hello there, you can see us?” I glanced at Ichigo, not wanting to deal with Saidoh at the moment. We didn’t have time to play around. Ichigo would get himself killed! Ichigo asked the Hollow if it was at the riverbank six years ago, surprising Rukia. Saidoh, on the other hand, was focused on me. There was no reason that he should be so interested in me. Unless… Rukia wasn’t his only mission?

“Yeah,” I might as well handle this now before it blew up in my face, “I can. Run in the family. Karin,” I jerked my head towards the Hollow’s hand, “can see ya too.” Saidoh smiled quickly, not grinning since there was a very dangerous Hollow we would have to focus on soon.

“Hmmm? You wouldn’t happen to be Amaya Kurosaki, right?” I glared at him. So he did have more than one mission. The only reason I had so long was my age. Did Soul Society decide they were tired of waiting for my decision? Not now. There was a more pressing matter at hand.

I waved at the scene in front of us. “Later. Not ‘ere.” Getting serious, Saidoh nodded. He knew I had a point, and I had a feeling he would stick around until we had that conversation. Attention back on the Hollow, we saw the girl split in half, another tentacle shooting out of the split and connecting to the top of the Hollow’s head. What was left was a lure that looked something like a bizarre toy jester. Rukia, Saidoh and I knew exactly which Hollow this was.

“Grand Fisher!” Rukia began explaining for Ichigo, “That’s his code name. He hides himself and gives the lure that grows out of his head a human appearance. And when he finds those who are able to see it… In other words, those who have high spiritual energy… he attacks them and increases his own power. For over fifty years, this Hollow has defied Soul Reapers like us. And his favorite is… women.” Just like Masaki.

Ichigo understood exactly what that meant, but he still couldn’t accept it. “Which means… my mom was…” Eaten by Grand Fisher. Ichigo grit his teeth, snarling at the Hollow. This wasn’t good. Ichigo needed to calm down. He wasn’t strong enough to beat the Grand Fisher in the first place, if he got angry and sloppy… The Hollow just laughed, the lure swinging to and fro on his antennae.

“I see…” We probably shouldn’t have let Grand Fisher know Ichigo’s weakness. There was no doubt, now, that the Hollow would somehow use Masaki against Ichigo. “You survived even after seeing me.” Both of us did. But we might as well have died considering how we lived since then. In my case… I was just waiting for my time to come. Until then, I had to make sure Ichigo survived. “What a lucky kid.” It wasn’t luck. Ichigo didn’t know that, but it wasn’t. There were a lot of things Ichigo didn’t know, and I planned to keep it that way. “Perhaps at first I intended to devour you for your high spiritual energy. However… women always seem more delicious.”

Everyone seemed more disturbed by Grand Fisher than any other Hollow I’ve met. He was disgusting, but all Hollows were the same. The only difference was if they were strong enough to win or lose. Ichigo rushed the Hollow, trying to save Karin, but Grand Fisher dodged too fast. This was bad; Grand Fisher knew exactly which buttons to press, he was stronger than Ichigo, and Ichigo wasn’t even attempting to calm down. I looked at Rukia, then Saidoh. What do I do? Beyond the fact that I couldn’t reveal to her my own abilities, now that Saidoh was here, doing so would jeopardize my precarious balance between two choices. He would surely report it if I used what I’ve learned as a Soul Reaper. But then… Ichigo needed those powers.

It was no longer a question. If bowing my head to Soul Society is what it took… I would do it in a heartbeat. Ichigo dodged Grand Fisher’s attack, but was easily wrapped in the long fur that covered all of Grand Fisher’s body. All we saw was a giant ball of hair as it moved, trying to devour my brother.

Rukia began making signs in the air and chanting, “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!” She was so weak that spell wouldn’t do anything! “Look upon yourself and burn! Tear out your own throat! Binding Spell 9: Strike!” Somehow, it seemed to hurt Grand Fisher, but not enough to be serious. He ordered her not to interfere and knocked her away too easily.

No zanpakto, no spiritual power enhancing gloves, and only my own demon spells… I looked over at Saidoh. Plus a weak Soul Reaper, a mid-level Soul Reaper, and a hot-headed idiot. There had to be some way to salvage this situation. Grand Fisher was about to eat Karin, and I held my hands before me, about to make the sigils for Binding Spell 9. However, Saidoh jumped in and cut off the Hollow’s arm, freeing Karin.

No longer frozen in fear for our sister, Ichigo cut himself loose. The Hollow’s fur split and sharpened like spears, aimed right for Karin. The spell would take too long! I ran to Karin, trying to get to her in time to pick her up. It took too long though, so I just stood to block her body with my own. Huh. Dying to save Karin instead of Ichigo, never expected that.

Saidoh, though, had done the same as me. Just moments before Grand Fisher’s fur pierced through me, Saidoh slid in front of me and took the blow, his zanpakto splitting Grand Fisher’s fur. The fur was embedded in the ground right before my feet, going through Saidoh from multiple points. Ichigo cut the tentacles, and Saidoh rested on his zanpakto, no longer able to stand on his own. This was bad. The only, really, useful Soul Reaper just got badly injured. My list of tools was getting worse and worse.

“You…” Ichigo looked back at Saidoh. “Why would you go that far?” Because he’s a Soul Reaper and an idiot!

“Soul Reapers,” Saidoh responded, voice strained, “keep fighting Hollows no matter what happens.” Saidoh coughed up blood, so I drew even with him to better see his injuries. We would have to pull the ends of the tentacles out… Saidoh kept talking though, “Soul Reapers will never forgive Hollows. When a Hollow attack indiscriminately, and you lose something precious to you, only an empty feeling remains. I can’t let that happen!”

I glared at him. “Then don’t die, idiot!” I punched him right next to one of his wounds, making him double over. Saidoh wouldn’t die, they all missed vital points, but he would be in pain for a while. Saidoh smiled at me, giving a short chuckle.

Then he looked back at Ichigo, “You’ve gotta protect, Spiky… you understand?” The injured, I brought my fist up to hit Saidoh, should rest! Before I could hit him, though, Saidoh collapsed, right in my arms. Was he worse off than I originally thought? Ichigo started shouting about how Saidoh couldn’t die.

Rukia came over to check on Saidoh then told Ichigo, “Even Soul Reapers are not immortal. Even if the form is different, death is...” Saidoh began snoring. That… bastard! Rukia held me back from stomping on him.

“What?” I yelled at Rukia, still struggling against her hold. It was awkward, too, since she was so much shorter than me. “This guy’s asleep! If I slap him a bit he should wake up!”

Rukia yanked me further down, practically bending me in half. “That’s not ‘slapping him a bit,’ you’ll kill him!” Growling, I slid from her grasp and took a few large steps away from her. Well, my original intention was to kill him… Kon decided just then to show up, in Ichigo’s body.

“Kon!” Rukia switched focus from me to the mod soul, “Take the sisters and run!” Obeying immediately, Kon picked Yuzu and Karin up then turned to Rukia.

“What about you?” She just told him to hurry. I was pretty sure she included me in “the sisters,” but there was no way I was leaving.

Not that Rukia could stop me from staying, but I didn’t really want to hash it out with her in the current situation. “I’ll take care o’ this weirdo. Ya jus’ ‘elp Ichigo.” It wasn’t a lie, I supposed. I still wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with Saidoh. There was a slight possibility that the Soul Society wouldn’t write off Saidoh’s death as caused by a Hollow. After all, one particular Soul Reaper probably thought I might do something like kill Saidoh… The whole thing was a pain, and I didn’t have time to work out a plan.

Sure that I would take care of Saidoh, Rukia turned to Grand Fisher. “Ichigo, back me up.” So she was planning on fighting Grand Fisher. Didn’t she realize she was going to be completely useless? Well, both of them were, actually. More and more, the fight with Grand Fisher got hopeless.

Ignoring Rukia, Ichigo jumped up to the wall Grand Fisher was patiently waiting on. When Rukia ran to join him, Ichigo stalled her, “Rukia, stay back. Just stay back this time.” His eyes rested solely on Grand Fisher. Ichigo couldn’t defeat Grand Fisher on his own! Not yet! “I’ll do it myself.” That idiot!

“Don’t be ridiculous! He is strong.” Rukia, thankfully, agreed with me. “I told you, he’s been defying Soul Reapers for over 50 years!” Ichigo told her to shut up. If there wasn’t a Hollow in the immediate vicinity I would beat some sense into him!

“Please,” Ichigo sounded so sincere, “don’t interfere. This is… my fight!”

…

He was right… It was his fight. If anyone or anything killed Ichigo, I would be the one to kill them. That was how Ichigo felt about Masaki. I knew that. It made it that much harder to let him fight Grand Fisher though. I knew he would fight until his dying breath. Yes, Ichigo was strong. But he had no skill! He also wasn’t strong enough _yet_. Ichigo didn’t have all of his power. To kill Grand Fisher…

Rukia, like me, stopped arguing with Ichigo. It seemed she had her own reasons for understanding just why Ichigo needed to fight this battle alone. I closed my eyes. No matter how strong I thought Ichigo was, I knew he couldn’t defeat Grand Fisher. So, soon, I would have to take my own revenge.

_“How do you plan to do that?” I turned and the shadow woman was behind me. I glared balefully at her. Although I couldn’t blame her for our current predicament, I could certainly try. She had a point though. But I did have one option open to me._

_I looked down the cliff at the lake far below. Still floating peacefully was Daiyu. Her deep purple hanfu flowed beautifully from her figure, and her long black hair spread all around her. I hadn’t seen her eyes in so long, I barely remembered their color. Thinking about her, my hand ached with the phantom weight of her hilt against my palm. It had been such a long time since I wielded my own zanpakto._

_Even if I unsealed her, there were multiple problems I had. First of all, she wasn’t even in the living world. Daiyu’s physical form was stuck in Soul Society, where I had left her. So I still couldn’t unseal her. Not for this situation. If I used the power stored in me, and forced my soul out of my body, there was a chance I could call Daiyu. Much more likely though, my hands were tied. If Ichigo died… I was sure most of my power would go with him. That wasn’t a chance I wanted to take._

_“You don’t know do you? You’re just grasping at straws now, Amaya.” I snarled at the shadow woman. Straws or no, I needed to try something!_

_“Ya can use me.” We both turned and saw Ayama perched on a branch. Her white lips were pulled back in a smirk, showing glimpses of black teeth. “Yer Hollow. Ya can use me.” Ayama and I actually got along. If I were to use my Hollow form, though… Even without my zanpakto, my strength was greatly increased as a Hollow._

_Alright then. “Only if there’re no other options left. Soul Society doesn’t know ‘bout ya, Ayama. I wanna keep it that way.” Ayama grinned and saluted me playfully. Her hair jingled with the movement, and I caught sight of the bell tied around her ponytail. Against the Grand Fisher… Ayama and I could probably win._

 


	10. A Memory of Rain

 

Neither Rukia nor Ichigo were around when I opened my eyes again. I did a quick reach for both, finding their spiritual energies far in the forest. Grand Fisher was still in the living world as well. It started raining while I was lost in my mind, and Saidoh and I were soaked. Saidoh groaned and tried to get up. I stared down at him, unimpressed. He really slept all the way through that, and remained out of it the entire time I was in my mind space.

“Oh dear,” he seemed to be speaking to himself, “I fell asleep.”

“You sure did.” Saidoh started and looked at me. I can see why he was surprised. After all, I should be off fighting Grand Fisher. “Hold still. I’ll heal ya then we’ll join Ichigo ‘n’ Rukia.” I wasn’t as good at healing spells as sealing and barrier spells, but Tessai taught me quite a bit. I wasn’t just practicing sword fighting and capoeira the entire time at Urahara’s shouten.

Once relieved of some of his pain, Saidoh stood. “Why didn’t you use any demon spells earlier?” I sighed and joined him, tying my hair back to keep it from slapping in my face.

Thinking back, I shouldn’t have even questioned whether I should or shouldn’t. Grand Fisher probably would have left if I hit him hard enough. Or Saidoh could have dealt with Grand Fisher if I could manage to seal the Hollow’s movements. Again, my indecision was ruining things. “Idiocy. Let’s go.” Saidoh didn’t comment on my response and just nodded. We began running, searching for Ichigo and Rukia.

We arrived in time to see Ichigo stabbed through the shoulder with one of Grand Fisher’s hair-spears. Masaki’s face was on the lure. Disgusting. It looked and sounded just like her, and my heart raged against my chest. My jaw hurt and I had to consciously unclench it.

Angry.

I’m so angry.

“Didn’t I tell you? Anger will dull your sword. It will be over with the next blow, kid. But I’ll say this much for you. Among those I have encountered, you were the youngest, and the most rash… and the weakest Soul Reaper!” Ichigo… My heart clenched and I couldn’t breathe.

Ichigo. “Ichigo!” I looked to see who shouted. Oh. Rukia. Ayama roared, ready to destroy Grand Fisher. Then…

Light. Light shot out of the Hollow’s lure, similar to lightning. I could feel my face smooth, and somehow I could tell my eyes were fading from gold to brown. Without even realizing it, I almost let Ayama out. Too close. Ichigo wasn’t dead yet. He was still alive. I could breathe again.

“His mother’s thoughts are manifesting themselves.” Saidoh. I looked over. Masaki’s thoughts…?

“Does that mean,” Rukia asked, “the lure had recorded his mother’s thoughts at the moment of her death?” Her thoughts… Masaki’s… I looked back at my mother, smiling angelically like she always did in life. Why was she here? My chest ached, and I brought my fist up, as if my heart was threatening to break through. She shouldn’t be here.

Ichigo was charmed, as always, by her. “Thoughts at the moment of her death?” Saidoh said he caught a glimpse of her earlier. Could that be why Grand Fisher didn’t kill him?

“Ichigo…” Her eyes caught mine for a moment and she smiled wider, “Amaya, I’m so proud of you!” Tears pricked my eyes. My ears were roaring. What did she mean by that? Why? “Dad, Karin, Yuzu, and you two, Ichigo and Amaya. I’m so proud that I was able to meet you. “Live Ichigo, with strength, with kindness, and with a smile…” She looked at me again, and all over again I lost my breath.

“Amaya,” what could she say to _me_? Didn’t she know? “It’s okay to live. So live, with all the strength and power you have. Thank you, Ichigo, Amaya.” Then she left. Again. Why even come back if you’re just going to leave?

“Anger dulls the sword… That may be true.” Ichigo grasped the spear in his shoulder and stood. “However, you’re wrong about one thing… In order to beat a thing like you, a dull sword is more than enough.” Again. Again, Masaki saved Ichigo. I’m right here and I still can’t save him! She’s dead! Her soul was devoured by a Hollow and she still managed to do more than I ever could! Why?

Ichigo finally managed to cut Grand Fisher, and, in pain, Grand Fisher ran away screaming curses. Ichigo tried to give chase, but he was injured. I watched on. What could I do? I turned and left. There was only one thing I could do for Ichigo. And it wasn’t time yet. Not yet. Saidoh stayed behind, probably to continue talking with Rukia. He would find me when he was ready.

I waited at the temple so Ichigo could pay his respects. He needed his time. Isshin was gone too. The younger twins were sleeping, tired after their ordeal. I… wish I never came today. I felt a small flare of energy as Saidoh warned me of his presence. Turning around, I glared at him. He was going to survive today, but I didn’t want to deal with the trouble he would bring.

“I’ll be leaving soon. I got asked to bring you a message while I was here. Still,” Saidoh grinned and adjusted his hat, “who would have thought the same thing would happen to twins? Fate sure is mysterious.”

Snarling, I grabbed him by the front of his hakama, “Jus’ tell me the damn message ‘n’ leave!” Not now. Not today. Not after what happened.

“Ah, I don’t know who is sending it? It’s one of the captains, that I do know. He said you would know.” I waited impatiently for the message. If it was from one of the captains, I definitely wouldn’t like it. “’Hurry up. You cannot pretend forever.’ Whatever that means.” I let Saidoh go, shocked. I knew exactly who it was. The one man who chilled my heart. The one person I was truly scared of. And he just promised a fight if I didn’t decide soon. My heart thumped erratically against my chest. This was different from the anger.

I could hide in the anger. I could protect myself with anger. This feeling though… my mouth was dry and my head pounded. “Hurry up,” he said. I couldn’t see anything with my eyes darting around in thought. My hands shook so violently that if I hadn’t let go of Saidoh I would have had to anyway. Saidoh waved his hand in front of my eyes, snapping me out of my fit. “I take it you understood the message loud and clear.” I gulped. Yes.

“Yeah.” I didn’t wait for Saidoh to leave. As if pulled, I walked to Masaki’s grave. I could feel Saidoh leave, probably confused. Both Ichigo and Isshin were still at Masaki’s grave, Isshin with a lit cigarette between his lips.

“How can you keep smiling?” Ichigo clenched his fists, clearly upset. I hid behind another tombstone. “Why doesn’t anyone blame me?” Why would anyone blame Ichigo? He never did anything wrong. “It’s hard to take. It’d be much easier if you all blamed me for this! Why?”

“Why should we blame you?” Ha. Even Isshin was better at saying what Ichigo needed to hear. I was too afraid. A coward. “If I blamed you for causing Masaki’s death, Masaki would scold me.” Yeah, because she was just that kind of woman. “It’s no one’s fault that Masaki died. She was… just the woman I loved.” It was amazing, really, how strong Isshin was. The woman he loved died, and he still managed to keep smiling. Ichigo and I couldn’t. “Who would give her life to protect her own child. And remember this:  You are the man whom the woman I loved protected with her life.” _You are our son._ Huh.

Isshin walked past Ichigo, stopping long enough to knee Ichigo in the back. “Live well, Ichigo…” Isshin kept walking away as Ichigo looked at him. “Live well, grow old well, go bald well, and then die after me. And if you can, die laughing. Otherwise, I won’t be able to face Masaki. Shake off your depression. You’re way too young to be burdened by something cool like sadness. I’ll be waiting below.”

With Isshin gone, Ichigo spoke, “Are you listening Rukia? Let me be a Soul Reaper for a while longer. I want to become strong. I want to become strong and protect people from Hollows!” Rukia came out from her own hiding place to face Ichigo. “Those who are attacked by them. And I’m going to beat him! Otherwise… I won’t be able to face my mom!” So Ichigo has made his decision. Time for me to make mine…

Ichigo and Rukia left, and finally I could visit the grave of my mother for the first time. Standing alone in front of Masaki’s grave I felt feelings surging from long forgotten pieces of my soul. “It’s… been years.” Turning my face up to the night moon, I felt the same old feelings I hated myself for. “You’re dead!”

As if yelling at Masaki’s tombstone would do anything. “You’re dead! I shouldn’t…” Sighing, I glared down at our family’s enshrinement of my mother. “This is fucking wrong. Ha! You would’ve wondered what happened to Amaya, the sickly sweet fucking angel. Damn you, Masaki.”

“Amaya! So this is where you were!” I turned to see my father running towards me, the barely burning cigarette butt in his hand. He couldn’t even give me these few moments alone with my mother, could he? Glaring hard at him, I impatiently began to tap my foot, hoping he’d say his piece and be gone. Pulling to a stop beside me, Isshin put out his cigarette and left it as some sort of offering to Masaki.

Quickly weary of his presence, I snapped, “What do you want Isshin?” His sharp look surprised me, I remembered that worthless goofy father only. Even when he was comforting Ichigo, he was soft. He was Masaki’s husband. Now, he was Isshin Kurosaki.

“What’s wrong Amaya?” His words brought me back out of my shock as I started laughing. I just kept laughing and laughing until tears edged my eyes and the anger boiled fast to the surface.

“What’s wrong?” Laugh. Maybe then these feelings won’t come out. “What’s wrong?” Maybe Masaki would forgive me if I never say it. “Fuckin’ A, Isshin! Ahahahahaha!” I was crying now, the tears flooding as these past six or so years bled to the surface, no longer able to stay buried. The deep pool of wounds opened with her death, it’d only make sense they’d all come to the surface on this day.

This horrible day. I’ve always hated this day. I’ve always hated these wounds. These tears. This pain… Masaki…

…

“Masaki loved you, you know.” Isshin didn’t hug me. His voice didn’t sound like he was saying any touching bullshit either. He didn’t have that “idiot” inflection, and we both knew he wasn’t comforting me. We also knew he wasn’t accusing me. I wish he did. Ichigo never did anything wrong. I’m the sick one.

“What’s wrong?” I don’t know which one of us said it, but both of us could answer. We really could.

“Amaya. No one blames you. You or Ichigo.” Neither of us was looking at each other. Our eyes were glued on Masaki’s shrine. If only I could lay all of my hatred at her tombstone, and be done with it. If only I wasn’t all sorts of fucked up. If only I didn’t hate my mother with my entire being.

“You should.” I wasn’t like Ichigo. I didn’t cry when I accused myself. It was something I had accepted long ago. He wanted to protect our mother. Ichigo was innocent. I was angry. With her death, Masaki tore Ichigo from me. The other half of my soul _died_ when she died. Ichigo doesn’t smile anymore. He doesn’t do that dopey little grin I loved so much.

            Isshin still didn’t move to comfort me, but the silence in the air told me just how much he knew. We knew. All of those secrets should just stay in the dark. We know. We can’t dredge those up. Even if it destroys me. Us. We won’t tell. We won’t tell Ichigo or Yuzu or Karin or even each other. Even if we both already know. We can’t say it out loud. All for Ichigo and Yuzu and Karin. And Masaki.

“I hate her.”

“I know.” That was all. He wasn’t angry. Or surprised. He knew. I knew. There were no more secrets between us. Not for years now. We both knew, but neither of us would say. And now Ichigo was a Soul Reaper. We knew.

“She forgave you.” The end. The tears in my heart dried. Masaki was sweet. She knew. Still, I covered my eyes, I didn’t know what Isshin was doing. I could smell the smoke of another cigarette, and knew he was paying tribute to her memory once more. “She knew.”

“I know.” No more. I couldn’t love Ichigo. Not like I used to. Isshin knew. I know. He could no longer hold my heart. We were separated the moment Masaki died. In the rain, as Masaki covered us. As her soul was eaten. It must have been terrible.

“Amaya,” Isshin’s warmth spread through my shoulder. My heart cried out in pain. “I forgive you.” Please no more. I came undone. Truly crying, Isshin finally held me in his arms and I fell to pieces. The first drops of rain fell.

How very like the night rain. Together, we let it wash away the infections built up over years of our secrets. Until next time that darkness consumed us. “I know.”

The rain kept falling.

* * *

 I slid the door to the shouten open. Urahara was waiting for me. We didn’t need to speak. Urahara knew me. Without words confusing us, Urahara opened his arms. All I needed to do was accept the small comfort he could give me. I kicked off my shoes. I was soaked. I crawled into Urahara’s lap, hugging him tight. I wasn’t ready. But I needed to make my decision soon.

 

 


	11. Plus, Hollow

“Hey, Amaya! Are you going to the Drop In broadcast?” I sent Orihime my most disgusted look I could muster. Ghosts were a daily part of my life, going to a fake ghost show just didn’t strike my fancy. Sadly, though, Urahara was making those of us with the shoten go. “To have fun,” he said. Bastard.

If Orihime was going, I would be even worse off, since I couldn’t be seen with Urahara. Scowling, I answered, “Yeah.” Orihime cheered and crossed her arms across her chest and did the “Bwahaha” thing Drop In fans did. It was annoying how many times I already heard that today, and how many more times I knew I would hear it.

Not receiving a reaction from me, Orihime tilted her head and asked, “You don’t like Drop In either?” Either? Oh, yeah, Ichigo hated ghost shows too. That sounds so normal, that I completely forgot about it. The influx in Hollows was, frankly, driving me crazy.

“Nah, I only know ‘bout it ‘cause I ‘ave a few friends inta it.” Orihime blinked twice, thinking of the typical response but trying not to say it. Usually people asked if I had friends other than Minori. For someone as sweet at Orihime, the statement was obviously too rude to say aloud. Minori jumped in to our rescue, and started talking with Orihime about Drop In.

Freed from the responsibility, I leaned back and relaxed. It was a nuisance, but not much of a surprise, when Munekata stomped up to me with a sour look on her face. She just couldn’t leave me alone could she? “So, attending class now Kurosaki. I might actually remember your face if you keep this up.” So witty. Really.

I kicked my legs up onto my desk, smirking when Munekata flinched. “Munekata, ya have _got_ ta stop wit’ the stalkin’. It’s getting’ creepy.” Munekata flushed red and slammed her hands down on my desk, eyes burning bright.

“Don’t flatter yourself Kurosaki! As class president, it’s my job to make sure you attend class! You, alone-“ I dropped my feet and leaned forward, right into Munekata’s face, so she stumbled back and fell, surprised. She was always spouting her mouth off about something or other, and I could care less.

People like her were exactly why I started skipping school so much. I stood and grabbed my bag. “I’m out. Ya comin’ Minori.” Minori sighed, I think she was getting used to attending classes for once. Too bad. Despite her reservations, Minori still grabbed her bag, apologizing to Orihime.

We left, walking, ignoring the teacher as he was entering the classroom. Instead of wandering around, like I usually did when I skipped school, I went straight to Urahara’s shoten. In the front, Jinta was pulling on Ururu’s bangs, bullying her again. As per usual, I pulled Jinta back by the back of his shirt and lifted him high into the air. Since I wasn’t as nice as Tessai, I tossed him, for good measure. Jinta spluttered and yelled curses at me.

I still wasn’t in the mood for arguing with anyone, so I just walked inside. Tessai was setting up shop, and he paused when he saw me, about to say something about the shop not being open yet. I saluted him, and Minori bowed, always respectful. “Would you like some help Mr. Tessai?” Minori offered her services and began helping Tessai when he accepted.

I shrugged and continued walking, kicking off my shoes so I could step into the back of the shop. I walked to Urahara’s room, slamming the door open, completely unsurprised when he just slowly got up yawning. I could sneak up on just about anyone, but Urahara never seemed surprised. Of course, it was more usual for me to skip school and come here. “Good morning,” Urahara yawned, “Amaya.”

“Yo.” I looked around for his dark green haori and tossed it to him, once I found it. “A buncha people from school’re goin’ ta that live.” Urahara eyed me, waiting for me to finish. He probably already knew what I was going to say though. “If Rukia or Ichigo go, I can’t be seen wit’ ya.” I tossed Urahara his hat next, and he put it on, shadowing his eyes from view.

“Ah. That’s right. Well, if they ask, you just so happened to be standing next to us!” I snorted and raised my brow at Urahara. Like that would work. Pouting, he got defensive, “What? It should work.”

Grumbling, I offered, “Maybe we can use the mem’ry modifier on Rukia. Tch.” Urahara laughed and joined me at the door, the two of us walking to the front. At least one of us thought it was funny she tried to use that thing on me. I was still pissed. My question wasn’t even about Hollows or anything like that.

“Well,” Urahara began messing up my hair and I groaned, “just have fun, Amaya. You need to relax.” I stopped trying to get my wild hair back in order and looked up at Urahara. I see. He probably felt bad about making me go to Masaki’s grave… Ha. I laughed and Urahara looked back at me, curious.

Shrugging, I lightly tapped him in the side, sticking my tongue out at him. Well, I say tapped, but Urahara _did_ double over. Playfully glaring at me, Urahara threatened me, “I’m going to get you for that.” Snorting I tried my best to look unimpressed, further incensing Urahara. Grinning, the shop owner sprang after me, hands outstretched and clawed.

We ran all around the shouten, feet thumping against the wooden floors, trying to avoid the four actually working. In one of the hallways, Urahara jumped for me and managed to grab a hold, and we both went tumbling down to the floor. We wrestled with one another, both of us grinning. I may be strong in a fight, but when it comes to sheer weight and strength, Urahara had me beat.

We both just sort of collapsed once it was clear it was Urahara’s win. That was way too much effort for the morning. Still, we looked at each other and grinned, it was fun. “Thanks.” Urahara blinked, unsure what I meant. “Fer bein’ my friend.” I tried to wriggle out of Urahara’s hold, but he wrapped his arms around my waist, effectively stalling me.

“Amaya,” Urahara’s smile slipped a bit, “you-“

“I’m so sorry!” We both looked up, surprised, to see Minori. I looked back and forth between Urahara and Minori, completely confused. What was she sorry for? Minori closed the door quickly though, and I could hear the pattering of her feet as she ran away. What the heck was she going on about? I sighed, I would never understand that girl.

Urahara started laughing again, and now I was even more confused. I didn’t understand what was up with those two. I suspected I never would.

* * *

 

The earth-bound spirit screamed as the crewmen entered his territory. Great, so there was at least one real spirit in the condemned hospital. All around me, the crowd eagerly waited, shifting back and forth. I knew Ichigo, Isshin, and the twins were there, but I hadn’t seen them yet. Urahara snapped his fan open at the sound of screaming, and shook his head imperceptibly at me. So the spirit would last until Ichigo cleansed it.

Tessai stoically stood to my other side, Minori beside him. Jinta and Ururu were in front of all of us, and when they heard the sound they looked back at Urahara to check. Jinta scowled when he was denied another fight, and Ururu just nodded, her worried eyes losing just a bit of their shine. Faintly, in the quiet of the crowd, I could hear some people start, so I looked around to see who else heard it.

Now that was a surprise, I checked them with my other senses, surprised to find spirit energy. All of Ichigo’s friends that had brushes with Hollows had spirit power; Orihime, Chad, and even Tatsuki had a little. Although, it wasn’t as strong as Orihime’s. It was strange. I pulled back up to Urahara’s side, just then realizing I stepped away to scan the crowd.

I looked at Urahara from the corner of my eye, “Is it possible ta gain spiritual powers from proximity ta a strong spiritualist?” Urahara glanced down at me, smile wider than it was a few seconds before.

“Oh, come on, Amaya! Spiritual power isn’t contagious.” I nudged his arm and motioned around the crowd.

“Check for Ichigo’s friends then. I knew they had power, but not this much.” Urahara did the same as me, eyes crinkling when he noticed the same thing I did. Now, _that_ was strange. He was correct, power wasn’t contagious or infectious. So for Ichigo’s friends to suddenly get enough power to be spiritually aware…? What could have caused that?

Urahara leaned down, his fan partially open by his mouth as if to hinder lip readers, “It might have something to do with Ichigo. His power is practically spilling over, and it could be… say, soaked into his friends.” I nodded. We wouldn’t know for sure, but I would trust in Urahara’s hypothesis. He was now undoubtedly curious, so he might just try to figure out what happened.

The lights came on, and Don Kan’onji, the face of Drop In, appeared with his arms crossed across his chest. “Spirits are always with you! Bwahahahaha!” The crowd followed along with his laugh, and I just stood there, my eye twitching with irritation already. That laugh was annoying as hell.

Urahara grinned at me, lowering his arms. Sometimes I thought he really was a child, instead of a who-knows-how-old adult. “Now then,” a short pudgy man spoke into the microphone, “Mr Kan’onji’s exorcism is finally about to begin.”

The woman next to the short man spoke up next, “All rest of us here are anxious, as well.”

They turned to Kan’onji, and asked, “How about it Mr. Kan’onji? What is your impression after entering the scene?”

All three of them turned in front and eyed the hospital and, although they couldn’t see him, the plus soul screaming at them. It was a man in a pink shirt shouting about how the hospital was going to make him rich. “This is even more dangerous than usual.” Kan’onji put in. “My nose is _filled_ with the smells of horrible spirits.” One. There was _one_ spirit. Plus, you don’t _smell_ spirits. That’s _not_ how it works.

Kan’onji got right in the spirit’s face and just stared, as the spirit just kept talking to him. The man bound to the hospital was a lot like how one imagines a gangster, with the way he spoke and moved. As we watched, we weren’t quite expecting Kan’onji to mess with the hole in the spirit’s chest. The spirit still had his chain of fate attached, and probably had a couple more months before he became a Hollow. However, with Kan’onji forcing the hole open, he was stupidly hurrying up the process.

“I’ll send you to rest in peace soon, _baby_.” I gaped at Kan’onji. He could sense spirits, but he didn’t know he was hurting more than helping? Just how many Hollows did he unwittingly make? Everyone who couldn’t see spirits began cheering, not knowing Kan’onji was putting them all in danger. This was bad.

Ichigo rushed through the crowd and jumped the fence holding the crowd back, yelling at Kan’onji to stop. Security, however, tackled Ichigo before he could get too close. Rukia pulled on her spirit gloves and tried to make Ichigo a Soul Reaper, but she got tackled by security as well. Urahara stepped forward, readying Benihime to push Ichigo’s soul out of his body.

I pulled away from Urahara’s side so it wouldn’t look like we came together just in time for him to knock Ichigo in the back of the head with his cane. Ichigo easily popped out of his body and spun, growling, “Who did that?” Urahara cheerfully greeted him. Ichigo, disgruntled but calmed down, said, “Hat-‘n’-Clogs…” I snorted. I wasn’t the only one to come up with that!

“Don’t just stand there,” Urahara admirably kept his composure, “you have to hurry.” Reminded of the impending problem, Ichigo ran off to stop Kan’onji. As security asked what happened to Ichigo, Urahara and Rukia spoke quietly to one another. As they spoke, Tessai grabbed Ichigo’s body from security and threw it over his shoulder.

Ichigo sent Kan’onji flying, and the crowd went wild. The spirit burst apart, Ichigo was too late. I shifted in my spot. Ichigo could handle this Hollow with no problem, I was just bored out of my mind. I waited, patiently, for the new Hollow to be reconstructed, wary of where it would appear. On the roof, the Hollow squatted like a frog as he slowly formed. His mask was wide and grinning. Kan’onji started speaking about how the Hollow was the boss of evil spirits, there to get revenge on him for exorcising the earth-bound ghost.

Just as Ichigo was about to go fight the Hollow, Kan’onji pushed him back and got into a fighting pose. As if he could defeat a Hollow with such weak powers. Although, it looked like Ichigo would have trouble, what with Kan’onji getting in his way. The Hollow jumped down, about to feed on Kan’onji, but Ichigo blocked its mouth with his zanpakto.

Urahara began talking to himself, next to me. “It’s just like I thought.” I looked at him, wondering what he meant, “Magnificent. But the circumstances couldn’t be worse. Now then, what will you do?” He watched Ichigo’s fight closely. My heart clenched for a moment, and I brought my hand up wondering what that sudden pain was. It quickly subsided though, so I just shrugged it off and went back to watching Ichigo’s fight.

He knocked the Hollow into the wall and took the chance to pull Kan’onji into the building. “I see. So you’re choosing that kind of fight, after all.” Rukia began moving forward, but Urahara stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Scowling, I quickly hid behind his back, leaning against him. “It’s alright,” he told her. “Such a weak Hollow won’t be any problem for Mr. Kurosaki.”

“But…” Rukia started but stopped as Urahara interfered.

“It’s not good for the ruckus to get any bigger.” He leaned forward, and I almost fell. I bet he did that on purpose. “And it seems the man called Kan’onji has a bit of power as well.” Yeah. Barely any though. “Let’s leave this to them.” Not that Rukia could get past security anyway. Then, we waited. None of us could see what was going on, and only some of us could sense what was going on in the building.

The Hollow burst through the wall, Ichigo carried by it. I couldn’t see too well, but it certainly didn’t look like Ichigo had it in hand. Did he just realize he couldn’t swing his larger-than-normal zanpakto in hallway? Just as quickly as the Hollow burst out of the building, it climbed up to the roof, taking the fight out of sight once more.

I refrained from speaking to Urahara, since Rukia might hear me. Urahara rocked back on his heels, sending me stumbling for a moment. Frowning, I looked back at him, seeing him turned just enough to smirk at me. I elbowed him in the back, and he doubled over. When he stood back up, I leaned against his back again absolutely certain he was smiling.

All around us, the crowd started chanting Kan’onji’s name, and I could sense the Hollow disappear. So, Ichigo successfully took care of things. Hopefully he would tell Kan’onji what the Hollow was so Kan’onji would stop doing stupid things like make them.

Kan’onji appeared on the edge of the roof and shouted, “Mission complete!” He crossed his arms across his chest, and I covered my ears to block out some of what would come next. “Bwahahahahaha!” The crowd pulled the same move, then began cheering. Rukia ran to the edge of the fence, so I could finally turn on my heel and stand next to Urahara again.

Smiling at me behind his fan, Urahara rested a hand on my head. “Are you a little less anxious?” I was about to say something in response, but then I looked into his eyes. Behind his smile, I could see how serious he was, so I decided to be serious too. I nodded, my lips pursed. Yeah, I was less anxious. It seemed like my heart already knew which path I would take, even if my mind didn’t. I felt a genuine smile pull at my lips, and I gently tugged Urahara’s hand off my head, clasping it between both of mine.

“Yeah,” he lowered his hand and our fingers locked at our sides where no one would see, “I am. Thank you, Urahara.” Urahara didn’t say anything, but just bumped into my side and brought his fan  up to his face again. Here he was, still helping me, even though he didn’t have to. My chest swelled as the heat radiated between our palms. Thanks, Urahara.

 


	12. Who Knew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of the day! I'm actually super happy it is. I post in a blog, and for some reason the blog was giving me crap today. Ugh, so confusing. Anyway, hopefully nothing else annoying happens.

 

Everyone present at the Drop In live was called to the office. Waiting for us were two teachers and the principal. The most imposing one—and he wasn’t very imposing at all—was… Mr… What was his name again? I looked down on Minori, and she smiled, knowing exactly what I was asking her silently.

Once all of us were lined up, the tall teacher began, “Absolutely unbelievable! Do you kids realize what you’ve done?” No, not really. Why were we here? “Look at this!” He lifted a remote towards the screen, and a scene from Drop In began playing. Oh. Ichigo appeared on screen right before he was tackled by security, and suddenly it all made sense. So Ichigo was in trouble for his stupidity, and the rest of us were apparently acquaintances. “This video was broadcast all over the country the other day. All over the country!” I brought a hand up to my ear to stall the ringing.

“Kurosaki, Ichigo,” he was still talking, “do you know how much you’ve shamed our school in this video’s broadcast?” No, but really, why were the rest of us here. It wasn’t like we were with him. The teacher grabbed Ichigo by the front of his shirt, getting in his face. That wasn’t very proper behavior for a teacher.

“Mr. Kagine,” Tatsuki finally let me know what his name was, “I understand why Kurosaki and Kuchiki were called, since they were on TV, but I don’t think there’s any reason Inoue and I should be here.”

I piped in before I lost my chance, “Minori ‘n’ me as well Mr. Kagine. We weren’t wit’ Ichigo ‘n’ Kuchiki, so fer what reason are we here?”

“Mr. Kagine” was determined to punish us, so he fought back against Tatsuki’s reasoning, “You four were there with them!”

Tatsuki closed her eyes and confidently argued her point, “That was just a coincidence! We just met them there by chance and weren’t involved!”

Again, I added more, “Plus, Minori ‘n’ I never even met anyone else. So there was no way fer us ta be involved.”

“Damn you,” Ichigo muttered at us, “just trying to save yourselves…” I shrugged in response, showing all the care I was capable of. Not much. Tatsuki, like me, didn’t care and stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at Ichigo.

“That’s the situation, so we’ll be going back to class now.” Tatsuki turned to Orihime, “Let’s go Orihime.” Then she just walked out, Minori and me following right behind her. Kagine was still surprised so he didn’t do anything to stop us. Man, Tatsuki was good. If it was just me he never would have let us go, since I regularly ditched class.

Ichigo got away not long after us with Rukia’s help. Since Orihime invited us to come with them, all nine of us met outside and began walking together. Keigo, I finally learned his name, started off the conversation with, “All’s well that ends well. It’s all thanks to you, Miss Kuchiki.”

Rukia, acting completely fake in front of the normal humans, responded happily “Oh dear, you flatter me.”

Ichigo glared down at her and scolded his friend, “You idiot, don’t praise her. She tried to sell me out.” I scoffed, bringing their attention to me.

“Who didn’t?” Ichigo yelled out some garbled mess and turned his glare on me, realizing I was right.

Tatsuki, though, began to scold Ichigo in return. “But thanks to her acting, you were able to escape, too.” Ichigo’s glared settled back down on Rukia, the shortest person in the whole group.

“She’s right,” Rukia added with a smirk only Ichigo would notice since his eyes burned into her side. “That was a-c-t-i-n-g. How could I possibly do something like sell out my friend, Mr. Kurosaki.” I heard Ichigo call her a bitch under his breath, and I stifled another laugh. Rukia’s phone, that she received her orders from, began beeping and they immediately stopped playing around. “Now that you mention it, I have to speak with you, Mr. Kurosaki.” Ichigo obediently followed after Rukia and she bid us farewell, politely. Bleh. How disgusting.

They then ran off, and all of Ichigo’s friends stopped to stare. “What the heck?” Even though Ichigo’s strange friend—his name’s Keigo, damn—was an idiot, he was starting to wonder about their actions. Didn’t those two realize how suspicious they were?

Orihime dashed my hopes for them in the next moment though, “What if Mr. Kurosaki and Miss Kuchiki… are, like, dating?” I highly doubted that’s how people acted when they started dating. At the very least they would put more effort into being discreet. Although… I was starting to worry that their current level of secrecy was the best they could do. I guess, with friends as gullible as theirs, it was good enough.

Minori and I lagged behind as they argued that it was impossible for the two to be dating. However, they did agree that something was suspicious. I wasn’t sure to be happy or sad that they reached that conclusion. It was good that Ichigo’s friends had enough brain cells to rub together to figure that out, but it was sad that Ichigo and Rukia had no idea how to be covert. Someone was watching us, and I noticed Chad stop to see who it was. Even I couldn’t see exactly who, our watcher’s face shadowed by the hallway. Now, I wonder who that could be. I looked back at Minori. She had noticed too.

Checking on Ichigo and Rukia, as I couldn’t resist at least that much, I was surprised to find they already defeated the Hollow. That was uncharacteristically fast of them. No… I felt a strange energy from that area… It was smarter to not write it off. Whenever there were strange energies, bad things happened. I would have to ask Urahara about it.

* * *

 

I waited just outside the crowd, not willing to push myself to the front. Minori was the one who usually checked our test grades. The school posted the student rankings on the bulletin board whenever we did an important test or whatever. Technically, Minori was the only one who cared about that stuff, but I was willing to give in since she didn’t ask for much. It was taking Minori longer than usual to come back and let me know the results.

Irritated, I pushed my way through the crowd and heard her gushing over Orihime. “Amazing! Miss Inoue, I did not realize you were so studious.” Huh? I pulled next to Minori, surprising her. “Amaya! Sorry, did I take too long?” I shrugged, and pointedly waited for her to let me know what stalled her. “Look at the rankings! Miss Inoue scored third!” What?

I checked the rankings, and, sure enough, Orihime’s name was next to the number 3. So she wasn’t stupid, she was just oblivious. That was disheartening. I looked for my name, not very surprised to see it right above Orihime’s name. Looking at the name just above mine, I was irritated to find he beat me by a few points. Who the hell was this guy?

“Wow, amazing! You’re really smart too Amaya, Minori!” I looked down at the brunette girl, what was her name? Did she have to sound so surprised?

“I don’t know, Amaya’s always done really well with her studies. I’m more surprised you ranked at all, though. Since you always skip school.” Tatsuki finally asked the right question, and I sighed. Yeah, I wouldn’t even take the test, if it was up to me.

“It’s Minori’s fault.” They all looked at Minori, confused. Minori just smiled shyly and bowed her head. “She only makes me attend on test days. Tha’s pretty much ‘er conditions fer skippin’ all the time.”

“Still,” the brunette wouldn’t let it rest, “how do you know all the materials if you skip?” I pointed at Minori with my thumb.

Minori got the hint and spoke up, “Well, before I met Amaya, I got the worse grades ever.” All of the girls gasped, surprised. They checked again to see that she was the fourth ranked. “When we started spending time together, asked her to help me study. Even though I don’t attend class, I follow the syllabus, take lots of notes when we do attend, and study a lot. We also do all of our homework. Well, I do. Amaya just remembers all of my notes from the times she has to explain something to me.” I backed away from the amazed stared, disturbed.

“So, you’re _really_ smart, Amaya! I never knew.”

“Tha’ was the point.” Minori giggled and I glared down at her. She noticed and stopped, smiling innocently at me. She was getting more brave since we started to hang out with these girls. I scowled. That wasn’t a bad thing at all. I much preferred her to the meek girl she had become. It was still annoying, though. While we were talking, the boys of our little group slid in front to check their grades.

The strange one was oddly proud of being an idiot, saying, “At least none of our comrades betrayed us by entering the top 50!” Not even Ichigo? I would have sworn I wasn’t the only one with half a brain. Mizuiro pointed and had Keigo look closer. I looked where he pointed and saw Ichigo’s name at 23. That was a relief. If Ichigo really was under the top 50, I would have to beat some sense into him. I skipped all the time and still managed to get a higher score than him. _That_ was just sad.

Ichigo, whom had joined us at some point, calmly told Keigo to shut up when Keigo began screaming at him about betrayal or something. “I’ve got nothin’ to do since I go home so early, so I study.” At least Ichigo had good habits…?

Keigo denied Ichigo’s responsibility, pulling back dramatically and yelling, “There’s no way you’ve got nothin’ to do! I invite you to hang out all the time! I see… So that’s what was behind you refusing all my invitations! Deviant! Nerd! As a parting gift, we’d like to give you these lovely soda-bottle gla-“ Ichigo punched Keigo in the face, knocking the freak back.

“Don’t want ‘em.” Ichigo and Mizuiro completely ignored Keigo as they began speaking to one another.

“I guess you really study, huh?” Mizuiro sounded really surprised at Ichigo’s actions.

“Well, yeah. With this orange hair, all kinds of things are tougher for me. It was worse for Amaya.” I started and looked at Ichigo. He didn’t usually acknowledge my presence unless I did something. The other girls stopped and joined into the conversation.

It was the brunette again to ask a question first, “It was? How come Amaya had it worse?” Ichigo looked at them, appearing shocked that someone else jumped into their conversation.

“Well, when we were kids, she was always sick.” They all froze and slowly looked around at me, disturbing me. Their faces were much more shocked than when they found out I was smart, and I couldn’t see why. Well, except for Tatsuki; she knew Ichigo and me when we were kids. Orihime gave me some sympathetic look, and grabbed my hand. Minori, also shocked, wrapped her arms around my free arm, effectively trapping me between the two.

“What ‘bout it?” I tried to free myself from the two girls, but they just squeezed tighter.

Tatsuki decided to decipher their reactions for me, “It is a little shocking, Amaya. I mean, you were so sickly and tiny when we were kids, then all of a sudden you shot up and haven’t gotten sick since then. It’s hard to believe you ever were.” I shrugged, not that hard.

Minori looked up at me, her eyes clearly sad, “I never knew, Amaya. How come you never told me?” Scowling, I shook the two girls off.

“’Cause it’s not important. I got over it. Tha’ was six years ago.”

Keigo stopped acting like an idiot, and said, “I see… You’ve got stuff to deal with, huh? I…” Ichigo looked suspicious of the strange one, so I backed away. “Would like to give you this lovely, dorky headband as part-“ Ichigo cut the headband Keigo got from… nowhere with scissors… Why was Ichigo carrying around scissors?

“I said I don’t want it.” Keigo seemed completely shocked and ran off a bit, stopping to point an accusing finger at Ichigo.

“Fine! I understand! I’ll never invite you to hang out ever again!” He ran back over and began elbowing Chad, “Hey, Chad, Let’s you and me go hang out. _We’re_ not in the top 50, like _some_ people.” Chad silently pointed at the board, and all of us looked. Number 11. What the hell? Actually, once I thought about it, I wasn’t that surprised. Keigo, and this time Mizuiro, ran off, completely shocked. All of these people thought really lowly of their friends.

We all looked on, not really caring. “Aiya, you made them cry.” Tatsuki blandly told Ichigo.

“If _we’re_ devils, what does that make the _top_ ranked person?” I looked back at the board, wondering something along those lines. “Ishida… Ametatsu?” Ametatsu? What kind of name was that? “Never heard of _that_ name.”

Orihime, thankfully with no dramatics, corrected Ichigo, “It’s Uryuu. Mr. Ishida Uryuu.”

Ichigo looked at Orihime, asking exactly what I wanted to, “You know ‘em?”

“He’s in _our_ class.” I loosed a short laugh before controlling myself. Ichigo didn’t know all his classmates, but scolded people for the same thing. However, Ichigo did have problem of not paying attention to other people.

“Forget it, Orihime,” Tatsuki warned the oblivious girl. “He can’t remember a name or face to save his life. Let’s go.” Tatsuki finally pulled Orihime away, and I took her cue and walked off as well. I wasn’t expecting to be at the bulletin for so long. We should have been there and gone long ago.

I sensed another Hollow as Minori and I were walking out of school, on our way to Urahara’s shouten again. It was destroyed not long after I sensed it, but there was no way Ichigo got past me without me realizing. I closed my eyes, feeling for that same energy I felt last time. There was no doubt, it was the same person. Just what was going on?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of the day! I'm actually super happy it is. I post in a blog, and for some reason the blog was giving me crap today. Ugh, so confusing. Anyway, hopefully nothing else annoying happens.


	13. Quincy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Finally back to just posting once a week. I shall be sticking with that, unless for special occasions of course, simply because I want my next story to be completely finished before I start posting it. Since I want to edit it without feeling like I shouldn't keep everyone waiting. So, yeah. I'm still writing every day, just not, you know, posting every day. Anyway, I'm debating posting another chapter today, since it is a brand new year... But then again, I need to prolong this stories posts so I can write a bunch more to continue posting once a week instead of taking a full month off to whip up another story. Oh well, we'll just wing it.

 

Another Hollow appeared. Three Hollows showing up and getting killed in one day. It looked like Karakura was going for a new record. I closed my eyes and stayed on high alert for the strange energy I felt. This time, I got to feel it in full force. As soon as I felt the energy arc some distance away, I felt the Hollow die, and the energy became muted again.

I opened my eyes and glared at Urahara. “Ya felt tha’ too, right?” Minori, confused, looked between us and set down her chopsticks. We were eating dinner when I felt the new Hollow appear. Jinta and Ururu were paused in their fight, holding strange positions that surely weren’t comfortable. By Urahara, Tessai stood and began picking up our plates. Dinner was over, and it was time to start talking shop. As Tessai took my empty plate and bowl, Minori began helping with the rest of the dishes, following Tessai into the kitchen.

Water started running, and I heard the clinking of the dishes. Urahara took his fan out and snapped it open with ease. “So now you want to know what that was?” Thinking, Urahara lowered his fan. “I’m not sure yet. Let’s make sure before I give you false information.”

I leaned back, not too surprised at Urahara’s evasion. “The Soul Reaper will prob’ly be comin’ yer way ta find out what’s up. They were righ’ next ta the energy when I felt it last.” Urahara’s eyes shot up to me, and he brought his fan to cover his face, shock widening his eyes.

“You’re the best at sensing spiritual energy. So, even without the spirit threads…” Ah. The high level technique used to track down small and distant energies, or even to determine the type of energy you saw. I shrugged, I didn’t need such a thing to find what I was looking for.

“Ya know I’m sensitive ta spiritual power.” I learned, over time, power called to power. If I ever had a problem sensing out energy, there was a chance I’d be dead anyway.

Shock turned to concern, and I scowled at Urahara. “Still,” he had a hint of a fake smile in his voice instead of straight up playful, “Amaya, you used to not be so good. Has your power grown?” I paused, thinking about it.

Has my power grown? No, it should be lessening right now. That was why the silhouette woman made me sick, to make me aware that my power was slowly leaving me. There was one thing though… I was more in tune with my power… Somehow, that didn’t bode well, and Urahara thought of it before me. I looked up at him and my heart clenched again. I stood. I didn’t want to let my thoughts go there.

“Amaya,” Urahara grabbed my wrist and pouted, “You’re leaving?” My heart beat faster and I lost my breath. Pretending to be back to normal, Urahara just asked a double-sided question, and he knew it. He let go, already knowing the answer. “Well,” he clambered to his feet false cheer carefully in place, “Want to go train?” My breath returned to my lungs, slowly, I nodded. Training was good. It meant we didn’t talk about things that made my heart hurt.

* * *

 

I slid open the door to the shop, rubbing my eyes. I just woke up, already late for school, and decided I didn’t particularly care. Today I didn’t even want to make the effort to pretend to care. I had already told Minori, and she asked if I was going to spend all day at the shouten. With no other apparent options, I told her I was, and she took her leave to go be a good student part time. I never understood why she followed me around so much but left me alone at Urahara’s shouten. This morning was not one to figure it out either. Neither was the next, or the next.

Urahara and I essentially spent the day lazing around. At one point, I took a nap, resting against his shoulder. I woke up when I sensed the Soul Reaper girl coming near and shook Urahara awake. He fell asleep too. Somehow we managed to stay upright instead of crashing to the floor. Sighing, I got up to leave the room. We couldn’t have Rukia seeing me in the vicinity. If she was any good at sensing spirit power, she would have noticed me long ago, but apparently not.

Just as I slid the door shut, Urahara grinning at me, Rukia walked into the shop. “Well, well, if it isn’t Miss Kuchiki. Need something-“ I heard a light slap and Urahara’s yelp, then a thud as he crashed to the floor. I could definitely understand Rukia’s desire to hurt Urahara.

“What d’you mean, ‘need somethin’?’ No matter how many times I called, you didn’t answer, so _I_ had to come _here_.” I wasn’t sure if I should be offended she made it sound so bad to be at the shouten.

Urahara, voice strained as he got up, responded, “Oh, sorry about that.” Was he really? I doubted it. “We’ve been rather busy here lately, too.” In what way? Until now, we were happily napping away. So that was busy?

“Hey, lady,” Jinta cockily interrupted their conversation, “where’s that cocky, spiky-haired kid you always come here with?” Well, that was the pot calling the kettle black. Jinta was cocky and spiky-haired too. Although, his hair was a vibrant red as compared to Ichigo’s orange. “Although, I do hate him… so it’s better if he doesn’t come.” I was going to get back at him.

“Hey, Jinta!” Urahara called out to the boy.

Rukia wasn’t even paying attention to Jinta. “I have some questions to ask you.” She was all business on this trip to the shouten, and nothing would deter her. We were right; Rukia would come with questions about the strange energy.

Urahara got serious, “What is it?”

* * *

“Quincy…” Quincy? Where have I heard that before? I remember Jiro saying something about them, but he said it wasn’t important since… er… What was it? It wasn’t important so I immediately forgot. “Long time since I heard that.” Tessai had prepared them tea, and I heard the cups click as they were put on the tatami mat. I had my own cup since Tessai nicely made me some as well and dropped it off before giving Urahara and Rukia their cups.

“It is most certainly a nostalgic sound,” Tessai was going to be a part of this conversation too? This, I had to hear. If it was correct that the energy I sensed was a Quincy, it would be important to know everything I could. The Quincy kid was no slouch, he had a bunch of spirit power as well. “For almost 200 years, I haven’t heard that name.” 200 years!? I didn’t even want to know how old Tessai and Urahara were.

“What does that mean?” I would have thought Soul Reapers would know about Quincys, but even Rukia didn’t know. At least I wasn’t the only one in the dark.

“The Quincys…” Urahara started and Tessai walked away, “were an anti-demon clan that specialized in anti-Hollow combat which were scattered across the globe. And their clan was destroyed over 200 years ago.”

Rukia seemed just as surprised as me when she asked, “Destroyed?”

“That’s right. In today’s terms, humans with power like Mr. Kurosaki became aware of the existence of Hollows. And in order to stand against them, they began to train. It is said that was their beginning. In order to defeat the Hollows the same way as the Soul Reapers. However, there was a defining difference between them and the Soul Reapers. That was whether to kill or not kill Hollows.” Now I remembered why Jiro told me about Quincys. He was teaching me that I wasn’t actually killing Hollows…

Urahara’s explanation continued, “As opposed to the Soul Reapers who purified Hollows with a zanpakto, a soul slayer, and sent them to Soul Society, the Quincys adhered methodically to killing the Hollows. If you think about it, it’s quite a human choice to make.” Did all Soul Reapers forget that they were originally human as well? “Hollows eat human souls. Why should we have to calmly send something that injured and killed our friends and family up to Soul Society?” Revenge. True, it was very human. I still argue that the souls in Soul Society were all originally humans that passed on. So it was silly of them to separate themselves from humanity.

“It’s easy to see why they would feel that way.” Urahara understood, but he didn’t agree with the Quincys. Neither did I. “So they stubbornly tried to kill the Hollows… believing they were avenging their comrades. However, it was because of that belief… that they were eventually destroyed.”

I felt Ichigo’s spirit power spill over as he left his body. He was already bad enough at concealing himself, but he was so much more obvious when he forced himself out of his body. What was going on? There weren’t any Hollows nearby. But then a Hollow appeared. Ayama perked up.

 _Hollow bait…_ What? _Somebody just scattered Hollow bait, Amaya._ The Quincy killed the Hollow that appeared. Why was Ichigo in his Soul Reaper form? And why was some idiot spreading Hollow bait? Another Hollow appeared, near the school. Urahara went silent, it seemed like he finally understood the significance of all the Hollows appearing.

More and more Hollows appeared, and Ichigo and the Quincy weren’t defeating them at the rate they were coming. “What’s wrong, Urahara?” Rukia didn’t sense it? All of us could feel the opening to the living world as Hollows began pouring out. “Damn, a Hollow?” A Hollow?! I knew she was weak, but this was too much!

I stood, no longer caring about keeping my secret. There were too many Hollows to hold myself back for this fight. Tessai stopped me and shook his head. “Just wait, Miss Kurosaki.” Wait? For what? “There is a way to keep your cover and fight the Hollows.” I paused to consider it. As long as I could start soon… I nodded.

“The signal _already_ disappeared… Ah. That Ichigo. Most impressive.” Rukia’s cellphone began beeping again. Then stopped. “It disappeared again… What’s going on? Don’t tell me it really is broke.” Realize it soon, Rukia. We needed to all move out _soon_. It beeped again. “Again? I-It’s practically i-impossible for Hollows to appear at this rate!” Not impossible. Not with the help of Hollow bait. The cellphone wouldn’t stop beeping. Finally, Rukia ran outside and saw what we all could sense. The Menos Grande was waiting. Waiting across the other side. And we could sense the chaos threatening to erupt.

* * *

 

Rukia left us, and I finally entered the shop. “We need to move it, Urahara.” Urahara, although smiling, stood with no resistance.

“Do you have your-“

“Gloves?” I smirked and showed off my gloved hands. My feet were clad in matching black mat shoes. They would amplify and focus my spirit power so I could cleanse a Hollow without a zanpakto. Not nearly as effective, but my skill in Capoeira made them deadly.

“Alright,” Urahara adjusted his hat, “you’re the best at sensing spirit power. Care to lead the way?” I nodded, then closed my eyes, trying to determine where we should go first.

A new power entered the fight. A Hollow was near Karin and… Chad! There was something strange about him. Pure spirit power erupted from Chad, more than I sensed at the Drop In live. What was going on? Karin and Chad were still alive. For now, that was all that mattered. There were too many people to protect. Too many too far away to get to them all on time. The Hollow near Chad and my little sister disappeared. Did Chad defeat it?

I opened my eyes, “First stop decided. Let’s go.” I ran off, knowing Urahara and Tessai would follow with no problem.

* * *

 

Checking the school again for the Hollow, I realized I could also feel Orihime and Tatsuki there. There were other students, but those two had the highest spirit power. Just like Chad’s, though, Orihime’s power suddenly blossomed. It was gentler than any other power I had ever sensed, so I was still worried for her. There was no need. The Hollow was defeated soon after. That was Ichigo’s second friend. The second friend whom I could sense strong spiritual power that blossomed in adversity and defeated a Hollow alone. How many more?

I panted, exhausted from the running and constant fighting just to get to Chad. Tessai put the large boy over his shoulder, and I was struck with a mild thought of humor. The two were huge, gentle, men. And, now that I thought about it, a lot alike. What with being silent most of the time. I wiped my arm across my forehead, dislodging the sheen forming. I couldn’t afford to get sweat in my eyes. Heaving a humongous sigh, I tied my hair back, not caring as I felt it tangle around the hairband.

“Are you alright Amaya?” I glared at Urahara. He was kidding, right?

“Yes, I’m fine. Any _normal_ person would get tired after all that. Let’s continue. It’s another of Ichigo’s friends.” Urahara brought his fan to cover his face. How leisurely. He was probably thinking the same as me; there was some correlation between being Ichigo’s friend and have strong spirit power.

* * *

 

Orihime was passed out on the ground, her snowflake-shaped hairclips resting beside her. She looked fine. Tatsuki and the lesbian that groped Orihime all the time were also there, passed out. I picked Orihime up, throwing her over my shoulder less decorously than Tessai did Chad. I closed my eyes.

For the moment, I couldn’t sense any problems. Urahara sensed the same as me, since he said, “Let’s take them back to the shouten for now.” Tessai and I nodded, carrying them back to the shop.

* * *

 

We sort of threw Chad and Orihime into one of the large, empty rooms of Urahara’s home, and waited for them to wake up. Urahara and I waited just outside the door, drinking tea Tessai and Minori, whom recently joined us at the shouten, prepared for us. We weren’t speaking, seeing no need for it.

We heard voices behind us, and stood, wearily in my case. “So you’re finally awake.” Chad and Orihime looked straight at Urahara and me, their eyes focusing mainly on the old shopkeeper since he was the one who spoke. It was probably strange for them to see some weird old guy dressed all in green with a striped hat hiding his eyes as soon as they woke up.

“Who is he?” Wow, they wouldn’t even speak to him? Orihime, though, just seemed confused. Chad was as stoic as ever.

“I don’t know,” Chad answered Orihime truthfully. “But somehow, it seems we were saved by him.”

“That _is_ correct. Well now, wherever shall I begin…” I snorted when Urahara paused.

“Prob’ly wit’ what they need ta know.” Orihime and Chad finally realized that the second person they saw was, in fact, me. They both started.

“Amaya!” Orihime sounded entire too excited to see me considering we were barely friends. I shrugged, not a problem. She was probably just one of those really nice types. I sat down, waving at Urahara to do the same.

“Sit yer butt down, Urahara. Yer tirin’ me out jus’ by lookin’ at ya.” Grinning, Urahara sat right next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Oh no! Don’t want to exhaust Amaya, now do I?” I glared at him and punched him in the side, belatedly remembering I was still wearing the gloves. He wasn’t too hurt, but Urahara couldn’t resist the short coughs he let out. That was probably painful. “Ow… Amaya, why do you hurt me?” I suddenly didn’t care.

“’Cause ya deserve it. Idiot.” Urahara pouted at me. “We ain’t got time fer tha’ now. I’ll let ya know when ya don’t have more time fer talkin’.” I closed my eyes, and Urahara sat straight, serious. Although I wanted to go running to defeat the Hollows, the Quincy was still going, Ichigo ran all around, and Kon, the mod soul, was running separately. With the Hollows we defeated on our way to Ichigo’s friends, we cut down the numbers quite a bit. Although, the Hollows did keep coming. For now, though, I would trust in Urahara’s instructions.

* * *

 

“Hold on a second there…” Chad seemed confused by the explanation Urahara gave.

Orihime, as well, was confused. “Yeah,” She agreed with Chad, after all, “Soul Reapers and Hollows…you can’t suddenly tell us that and expect…” It’s not like it was that difficult to understand. Hollows are former pluses, human souls, that haven’t crossed over to Soul Society. They became corrupted, and lose their hearts for various reasons. Hearts gone, they attack humans and devour pluses and living humans. Soul Reapers cleanse the Hollows and pluses which have remained in the human world. Not that hard to grasp.

“Then you deny the fact that both of you were recently attacked?”

“But that’s…” Orihime couldn’t deny Urahara, but she couldn’t accept the truth. I suppose it really was difficult to believe all of it at first. My initial reaction was more violent, though. I opened my eyes to see Urahara had a serious expression on his face. Good. It would be even harder to believe if he was using a joking tone like usual.

He looked at me, confirming what he already knew to be true, I nodded. “Even as we speak, Kurosaki, Ichigo is fighting the Hollows as a Soul Reaper. And you two were affected by the extraordinary power that oozes from him. That’s how it is. Still though, whether or not to open the door that has appeared before you is up to each of you.”

The door slid open and Tessai appeared, “Manager… the ‘sky crests’ have begun converging.” Tch. I closed my eyes again, feeling the Menos Grande’s presence.

“And there’s something _really_ unpleasant waiting for that.” Urahara couldn’t spare any more time for Orihime and Chad.

“Preparations?”

Tessai bowed and confirmed, “Complete.” Urahara stood.

“Then let’s go.” He began walking, and I flipped back onto my feet. I slung an arm around Urahara’s shoulders.

“So,” I started, grinning at my friend of several years, “it’s finally startin’.” Urahara nodded and grinned right back at me. It wasn’t good, but we saw this coming and were prepared for it. Orihime and Chad didn’t stand to follow, so Urahara stopped and looked back at them.

“Will you come along?” They stared at him, thinking. “I will show you…” the sliding doors opened and Urahara turned his eyes away from them, “what’s beyond the door.” We walked through the door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd really appreciate your thoughts on all this. Although, since this story's technically done, it won't change much. However, I want to improve my writing.


	14. Menos Grande

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I forgot, again, to post on Friday as promised. Want to know what's even worse? I was reminding myself all Friday not to forget. Yet I still forgot.

 

The sky was cracking, seen only to those with spirit power, and Hollows flew out at an alarming rate. Looking closer I saw that the Hollows weren’t flying out, they were flying to each other. I grimaced; that wasn’t good at all. I could feel the Menos Grande on the other side, so I grabbed Urahara’s sleeve, halting him for a moment. He looked back at me, worried. “Do you sense something?” I didn’t bother glaring at him to get my point across. Yes.

“It’s not yer average Hollow, Urahara. It’s… a Menos Grande.” Urahara looked back to the hole in the sky, now it was all coming together for him. Urahara continued walking, he knew everything now, but we didn’t have time to wait. Ururu, Jinta, and Minori were with us this time, their weapons at the ready.

Since the Hollows were already gathered, Ichigo and the Quincy at the middle of the fray, we only needed to go there and start getting rid of them. I clenched my fist, finding comfort in the resistance of the cloth as it stretched across my palm.

Then, the Menos Grande began opening the sky crest further. Luckily, we already found the group of Hollows surrounding Ichigo and the Quincy. Finally, the Hollows began to move, and before Ichigo or Ishida could take care of them, those of us from the shouten finally got to fight.

Ururu started off our barrage with her large, bandage-wrapped weapon. She lifted it over her shoulder and shot off several rounds that took out a large group of Hollows. She lowered her weapon and bowed respectfully, “H-hello…”

Jinta took out another group with his bat, shouting, “Jinta home run!” It was simple, but effective. Every Hollow he hit was laid out. Tessai followed close after, simply using his palm. He smashed a Hollow into the ground, completely destroying its mask. I whistled low.

Before taking my turn, I looked to Urahara. “I don’t see how this is keeping my cover, but here goes!” Minori and I finally moved in the open. Minori growled and her eyes turned golden, then she shifted to her natural form. A large beast swiped several Hollows out of my path. She jumped into the air, taking care of the flying Hollows, and I kept my feet to the ground. Well, at least I kept my hands to the ground most of the time.

I ran straight into the middle of a group and rolled into a handstand. With the Hollows paying attention to me, I sent out bursts of spirit power from my feet as I spun on my hands, kicking out with deadly precision. The Hollows blasted away from me then disintegrated. Minori settled her paws on the ground and shifted partially back to her human appearance. I checked my gloves and let out a low cheer. It felt great to take out Hollows without worrying who saw again.

All of us gathered around Urahara, and he waved cheerfully at Ichigo, “Mr. Kurosaki, we came to help you.” His hand rested on Ururu’s head, as he blissfully smiled and continued waving his fan.

Ichigo and Ishida looked thoroughly surprised. I wondered how long it would take Ichigo to realize I was there. At the moment, though, I could cut him some slack. What with the Menos Grande threatening to enter our world. “Hat-‘n’-Clogs!” While they talked, the rest of us got back to work.

I turned to Minori, “Hey, can ya give me a boost?” Minori smiled, probably not realizing it was all fangs, then rolled her neck. Getting down on all fours once more, Minori shifted to her full beast form and waited for me to jump onto her back before jumping back into the sky. All around, on the ground, dust rose as Ururu and Jinta wreaked havoc on the Hollows.

I grinned, I much preferred being in the open sky, anyway. Balancing carefully on Minori’s back, I prepared to jump, my feet pushed as softly into her back as I could manage. “Minori!” I yelled as loud as I could with the wind whipping all around us, “When I say go, I want you to drop down! If you don’t, I might just break your back!” Minori howled affirmative, and, prepared, I waited for the right moment to kick off.

I grinned. I was great at Capoeira, but my specialty laid in aerial combat. It had been a really long time since I flew through the air, since I had sealed Daiyu. I saw a Hollow coming right for us, and I tensed all my muscles. I was best at fighting in the air, but I never said it was easy. “Go!” Minori dove down right as I kicked off. Despite my warning, though, Minori still ended up getting kicked to the ground. Oops. Oh well, at least she was alive.

Now I was flying. I close my eyes for a moment, letting the wind buffet me. I was blown slightly off course by the wind, but I expected that. Opening my eyes, I focused on the first Hollow in my path. I forced my legs beneath me and together, hitting the Hollow square in the mask. Grinning, I kicked off in a back flip and the Hollow shattered to bits.

The next Hollow fell easily under my hands, and I finished my flip and landed my feet on the back of its head. The Hollow screamed at me, furious that I was hitching a ride. “Too bad fer ya, Hollow, yer ‘bout ta die.” I wrapped my legs around its neck and punched the top of its mask, then used my other hand to push off before it disintegrated. One after another, the Hollows fell to my kicks, and I managed to stay in the air by kicking or pushing off of them before they died. Until, all of the airborne Hollows were gone, and I was just falling.

If I was in my spirit form, I wouldn’t mind all that much, but gravity had it out for the living. Gritting my teeth, I looked for Minori, she was being held by a Hollow around the flank. Growling, I spread my body out as far as I could go, trying to slow my descent. The wind pushed back at me, but it was less strong the closer I got to the ground. Crap, crap, crap. I looked around, what could I possibly use?

A Hollow would be really useful right now. If I could change my trajectory at the last moment, I could safely, with difficulty of course, land on the ground. Urahara looked up at me, grinning. I’d like to see him grin if he was in this situation. “Need help!?” I barely heard him, but it was enough. Urahara didn’t need my response. Or, if he did, he’d have to suck it up, because the wind would snatch away my voice anyway.

Either way, I was getting too close to the ground for comfort. Especially if I could hear Urahara. I sensed a barrier spell form just below me and I grinned. Exactly what I needed. It was weak, but I just needed some resistance to push off of.

Curling into myself, I hoped the wind pushed me to the edge of the barrier instead of right into it. Carefully timing myself, I unfurled right as I was about to crash into the barrier and pushed off, towards the ground. Not willing to dive head first into the ground, I found myself grateful the sky opened at a park, as I grabbed a tree branch and flipped down so I could land feet first.

I rolled to avoid breaking my legs, and got up, breathless. There was no way I was fighting like that in my body, again. I ran over to Urahara, still trying to get air back in my lungs in huge gulps. “Yo…” I looked down at Rukia to see her on her knees. “What’s… up wit’… her?”

Urahara covered his face with his fan, “That was a close call Miss Kurosaki.” Miss Kurosaki? “Are you sure you’re not a gymnast?” I scowled at him. He knew I… I looked at Rukia. Really? That was his excuse? That he found me on the way like Chad and Orihime and discovered mine and Minori’s powers? Weak. Knowing Ichigo and Rukia, though, they might just believe it.

I sat at the base of the tree by Urahara. “So, we’re just gonna watch Ichigo fight that thing?” Urahara watched me from the corner of his eye, probably making sure I wouldn’t do anything rash like going off to try and help Ichigo. The Menos Grande fully came out of the sky crest and began walking through the park.

Ishida apparently had an idea to defeat the Hollow, and I watched with curiosity. What would they do in order to… defeat… the… Menos Grande. Was he serious? Ishida had wrapped the hilt of Ichigo’s zanpakto to his head with a cloth and was using Ichigo’s spirit energy. Granted, it made his bow humongous, but it looked absolutely ridiculous. Ichigo let go, obviously thinking it was stupid as well.

“Hey, are you crazy?” The bow shrunk and Ishida turned around, the giant zanpakto still on his head, making the scene much more comical than it should be.

“What? Quit babbling! In this situation, if you release all your spiritual energy in this form, I’ll be able to shoot an enormous arrow! We can’t waste all that spiritual energy!” Well, he did have a point…

“Don’t say ‘waste.’” Ichigo didn’t seem to care though.

“Come on!” Ishida tried harder to convince Ichigo, “Control your spiritual energy and release it all at once!” Wait, what? I stood up, but Urahara held his arm out to stop me. He shot me with the most serious look I knew he had, and I had to pause. It wasn’t wise to disobey that look, but if Ichigo were to release all of his energy…

“How?” Well, at least Ichigo didn’t know how.

Ishida seemed surprised that Ichigo didn’t know that much, “What? Can’t you do that?” This was all fine and dandy, but there was a giant Menos Grande walking around the park. “Then how did you fight Hollows until now?” Luck?

“I just went with the flow.” Yep, that was Ichigo for you. Urahara coughed a short laugh into his fan and I sighed, resigned to Ichigo’s stupidity.

“The flow? That’s crazy!” How long was this conversation going to last? I sat back in my spot against the tree and narrowly resisted the urge to bang my head against it. They were wasting precious time. Minori finally came to join me, and she turned to her partial beast form. Her clothes didn’t transform with her, so if she changed all the way back… I waved at her and she settled down next to me.

“We are not going to help them?” Her voice was gruff since she had to speak with different vocal cords. I shrugged and waved at Urahara.

“This guy won’t let us.” Minori nodded, understanding.

She opened her mouth, about to say something, but then a red glow washed over the surroundings. I looked back to the Menos Grande, not liking the look of a reddish black ball form in front of its exposed teeth. It was a giant Hollow, and stronger than many others hence the name “Menos Grande.” If it released a Cero here, we would all probably die.

“Cero?” Rukia looked like she had given up on life already. “Does he intend to release a Cero here?” No, he intends to release it in America. I scowled. Of course that’s what he was going to do. Rukia yelled at them to run.

Instead of running _away_ , Ichigo grabbed his sword off of Ishida’s head and ran _towards_ the Menos Grande. “Kurosaki! What are you doing?” Ishida yelled after Ichigo, and I had to agree with him. Yes! What was Ichigo doing?” The Menos released the Cero, and Ichigo blocked it with his zanpakto. We felt the spirit pressure in the area increase drastically as the Cero kept blasting against Ichigo and his zanpakto. Everyone had to fight just to stay upright as the red energy washed past all of us.

My own breathing grew labored again, and I clutched at my chest. Ichigo pushed back against the Cero and delivered his own blow. Spirit energy sliced all the way up the Menos and pushed it back. The sheer amount of spirit pressure Ichigo released pushed everyone back. Gh. My head… was… pounding! I pressed my hands to my temples trying to stop the pounding! Gah.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on lovelies, I'll be posting an apology chapter right now! Let me know what you all think so far. Also, the next story I actually start posting (which won't be for a while) will have more work put into it. As in, actually editing and stuff. The only reason this is already being posted is because I started posting it 2 years ago, so I felt bad for leaving it unfinished for so long. Hopefully the next story will be better quality.


	15. Or So They Say

 

_“Ichigo used too much power.” I heard groaning, then I realized it was me. Everything ached like no tomorrow. I pushed myself up, the hard rock of the cliff digging into my hands and bringing me back into focus. Glaring up at the silhouette, I tried to remember what happened. “You should have stopped him.” I scoffed._

_Not very likely. “Wha’ the hell was I s’posed ta do?” She turned back around and I could feel something suspiciously like a glare. Heh. I got up to my feet, wobbling slightly. The further from the ground I got, the more my head pounded. How could my head pound when I was_ in _my head? The pounding increased and I shook my head, not the time to question anything right now._

_“He almost died.” I scowled at her. She was probably right. But if she hadn’t been busy knocking me out, I would have been able to do something about it._

_“Not like I coulda done somethin’ ‘bout it. Ya knocked me out!” The silhouette continued pacing, I rolled my eyes. Ayama  walked out from the trees, looking very suspicious herself. “What’re ya up ta, Ayama?” The Hollow sighed, sounding more relieved than anything, and walked all the way over to me, hiding slightly behind me. What a brave Hollow…_

_“The shadow lady’s been snickety fer a while now.” Ugh. I groaned. This woman was so annoying. Couldn’t she just be done with me? Ichigo was growing full well into his power-_

_“It was not me.” What now? I looked back at the silhouette to see she stopped going back and forth, wearing a hole into my cliff. “Ichigo pulled too much power, too fast, and he was not gentle about it.” I gaped._

_“So,” Ayama leaned against me as she spoke, “yer sayin’ that… The reason Amaya got knocked ou’ was ‘cause ‘er twin_ forced _the power outta her, ‘n’ the power reacted by lashin’ out at ‘er?” I scowled at the Hollow and she backed away, grinning. So now the power was beating me up all on its own. Pleasant._

 _“Not just Amaya.” I looked back to the silhouette. She was practically radiating worry. I did_ not _want to deal with this right now. I dropped to the ground, glad to feel some relief from the pounding in my head. The silhouette decided she wouldn’t wait for my half of the conversation and kept going, “It lashed out at Ichigo too. The leftover power stored up in his body, and he had no way of releasing it. Since you were useless,” well, excuse you, “the Quincy wasted his power by shooting it into the air.”_

_“What a relief. Can I go now? Yer not helpin’ my headache, ‘n’ I don’t much like ya.”I felt like I was being glared at again. Ooh, it wasn’t often I got to piss off the silhouette woman. Sure, I could do something that made her mad, but to really get to her? Nah. I suppose she didn’t like the fact that Ichigo forced more power through me. I shifted and electric pain shot from my head all the way through my body. Nevermind, neither did I. Agh. Everything smarted._

_“There is nothing more I can say. You would not listen anyway.” Good riddance._

Not good riddance. This time, the light hurt too. I groaned and threw an arm over my eyes to block out the evil light. That wasn’t supposed to happen. I heard a chuckle, so I dared glimpse out from my barrier for a moment to see Urahara. He seemed to be in high spirits. I looked closer. Okay, he seemed to be a little stressed. That… wouldn’t have anything to do with me right?

“You’re finally awake, Amaya.” Where were Tessai and Minori? I sensed them right outside the door. Did I worry everyone? Nope. Ichigo wasn’t here. Urahara pulled my arm from my eyes, frowning when I groaned. I have been miserable since the Soul Reaper girl came. Could I just blame her? “Amaya, what happened?”

I finally just focused on Urahara. He looked really worried. His fan wasn’t in his hands or hiding his face. I sighed and got up, relieved that the pounding in my head had lessened to a slow, dull thud. “I believe ya actually know, Urahara. Ichigo’s… sudden release o’ power hit me hard. Tha’s all.” Urahara shook his head and stood up, leaving me. He knew, now, what actually happened. At the rate things were going, it was good I already made my decision. I just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

I got up, surprised at how sweaty my yukata was. I must have been worse for wear than I thought. Or felt, for that matter. All of my muscles wanted to give out on me, but I pushed them to keep going. Sliding open the door, I leaned heavily on the frame. Walking was proving a lot harder than it should. Both Minori and Tessai were standing, reaching their arms out to steady me.

They were ushering me to bed, but I shook them off. I wanted a bath, then I wanted food. I really wanted a bath. I grimaced as I felt sweat roll down my forehead. I did sweat, but that didn’t mean I like the feel of it. “Amaya, please go back to bed.” I scowled at Minori.

“Nah, I need a bath. Either help me, or get outta my way.” Minori frowned too, but obediently wrapped an arm beneath my arms, letting me lean on her. Technically she could just pick me up, but Minori knew how much I hated that.

* * *

 

“You look much better, Amaya!” Urahara was back to his cheerful self, and I scowled at him. This was ridiculous. Tessai was about to get up to check my health but I shook my head and went to him. Reassured that I was as fine as I looked, Tessai sat back down. I plopped down next to Urahara and stole his tea, sticking my tongue out at his defensive, “Hey!”

“Tessai… Kisuke… Amaya…” Ururu faced all of us, her arm stretched out to point at something to her side. “A kitty.” Urahara ran out, too excited for it to be a normal cat.

“Oh! If it isn’t Yoruichi! Welcome back!” Tessai and I calmly walked out, not as eager to see “Yoruichi.” I looked over and saw Urahara running weirdly towards the cat then pick it up, dancing around with it in his arms. “Here you go! Upsy daisy!” I wasn’t sure if I looked as disturbed as I felt.

Jinta asked what us younger ones were all thinking, “What is that cat?”

I looked to Tessai, sure he had an answer, “Its name is Yoruichi and it’s the Boss’s best friend.” Yoruichi… I swear I heard that name somewhere before…

“Huh? A cat as a best friend?” I looked back at Jinta, I would think the same thing if the name Yoruichi didn’t ring such a big bell… Just what was it Urahara said about a Yoruichi? I watched the two, trying to remember what it was I heard. It had to have been Urahara, since Yoruichi wasn’t exactly a common name. “I feel sorry for the Boss sometimes.” Okay, yes, I did too. But I could swear “Yoruichi” wasn’t a cat. I remembered now!

“Yoruichi, right?” I walked over to the two, and Urahara stopped with his antics. He grinned at me, so Yoruichi’s appearance probably made him so happy he forgot he was mad at me. I grinned back, sweet. “Hat-‘n’-Clogs told me ‘bout ya. Said ya can teach me ta be better at… uh… shunpo, yeah?”

“Yes, I’m Yoruichi. Kisuke told you about me?” Urahara put the cat down and, using an arm around my shoulders, pulled me closer to his side.

“Yoruichi, this is Amaya Kurosaki. She’s quite the talented Soul Reaper, and fighter. She’s good at control, spells, fighting. Think you can teach her a few tricks?” It sounded more like Urahara was teasing Yoruichi than asking…him? It sounded like a him. What with Yoruichi being Urahara’s friend, I couldn’t really pick him up and check. Whatever. Not that it mattered what gender my teacher was.

Yoruichi didn’t seem bothered by Urahara’s teasing, but just looked straight at me. His golden eyes felt like they were doing a lot more than looking at me. It felt like he was looking through me. “When will we start?” I thought about the recent events. There was no way Soul Society wasn’t coming soon, and, knowing Ichigo… I needed to start as soon as possible.

“How soon can you start?”

* * *

 

I had to go take another shower, since I was sweaty from training with Yoruichi. He worked me hard, but his methods definitely worked. After my shower, I went to look for Yoruichi and Urahara, but found them together, talking in front of the shop. I was a regular eavesdropper, but I did respect Urahara, and now Yoruichi, too much to invade on their conversation. So the question was, walk up to them, or leave?

I was about to leave when I heard Yoruichi, “Stop putting on an act, Kisuke. You know, don’t you? Those guys are here.”

Urahara sounded serious when he responded, “Will you talk about it before or after your milk?” Aw, screw it.

I stepped out to join them, curiosity driving me to reveal myself. They both looked at me, seemingly surprised that I wouldn’t just listen from the shadows. “What? Ya woulda sensed me sooner or later, ‘n’ I wanted ta know what ya were talkin’ ‘bout.” Urahara laughed into his hand, Yoruichi just closed his eyes and shook his head.

From what I heard so far, though, it seemed like Soul Society finally sent someone out to pick up Rukia Kuchiki. I spread my senses, surprised I didn’t notice them earlier. Then I knew why. I didn’t know the other Soul Reaper, but I sure as hell knew one. The one man I feared. I bit my lip. “Ya know what? Nevermin’. I gotta go make sure Ichigo don’t get ‘imself killed.” I turned to go back into the shouten for my gloves, but Urahara’s hand on my wrist stopped me.

“Take care of yourself, Amaya.” I smiled at him, of course, and nodded. Then I pulled away, cold spreading throughout me when the heat from his palm faded. Hopefully Ichigo wouldn’t try to stop them, but chances were he would. All I was doing was keeping an eye on him, not helping. Ichigo needed this lesson. I had my rash moments, but Ichigo had many more.

Gloves and mat shoes on, I jumped out my window. I wouldn’t warn Minori I was leaving. Soul Reapers killed her kind on sight, and she was much more likely to jump into the fray than I was. I closed my eyes, trying to pinpoint all the parties I was worried most about. Rukia was running away from the Kurosaki clinic, Ichigo was still there with calm energy, so he must not have realized. The two new Soul Reapers were following Rukia.

Who to follow? I tightened the cap on my power, making sure no one could sense me unless they were specifically looking for me. I would follow the Soul Reapers. I grinned, and started running. I may have been scared of him when I was younger, but I grew up. Byakuya Kuchiki.

_“Filth.”_

_I snarled. “Then why don’t you let me go?” Such cold eyes. I shrunk away from that stare. Those damn Soul Reapers._

I shook my head. Bad memories. For now, keep an eye on things to make sure no one died. Well, no one but Rukia. If we were to save her, that would mean war with Soul Society, and I was not prepared for that eventuality. I ran faster. Right, make sure Ichigo doesn’t start a war we can’t win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh geez. Amaya's brother is so rash. Poor Amaya just can't keep up with him. With her body slowly failing as Ichigo gets stronger, what will she do? Well, that should be all for tonight. Until next Friday? Yeah? Yeah.


	16. Idiot Brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days, I'll actually remember what day of the week Friday is. If I keep having to post apology chapters, I'll run out of chapters to post long before I actually finish the next story to post. That's bad. Oh well, I'll be posting three chapters today.

 

The unknown Soul Reaper was showing off, making it easier for me to zero in on their location. Trees lined the road on either side, so I picked one to jump into and get comfy. If Ichigo never showed, I wouldn’t have to reveal myself to Kuchiki or the redhead currently talking to Rukia. If Ichigo _did_ show, I would have to hold myself back until damage control was necessary. As I said, Ichigo was rash. It was in his best interests if he got knocked around a bit.

Ichigo needed to know how weak he was. Hopefully, though, it wouldn’t come to that. The Soul Reaper rested his zanpakto over his shoulder, striking a cocky pose. He was no weakling, that was for sure. “Spit it out, Rukia. Where is the human who took all your powers?” I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists. Nevermind. If she told them Ichigo’s name, her execution would come much sooner than Soul Society planned.

“What are you saying?” Rukia started acting defensive, “Just because I’m in a gigai doesn’t mean I’ve lost my powers!” I relaxed again. Oh. I didn’t expect the righteous Soul Reaper to protect Ichigo in a situation like hers. I looked down at my hands. She was proving to be a lot like Jiro. It was such a shame I couldn’t save her either.

“Furthermore,” Rukia continued, never taking her eyes off the red head’s eyes, “to assume that the one who took my powers was a human…”

“It was a human!” The red head was awfully confident of that fact. I leaned back against the tree I was hiding in, getting comfortable. In this situation, there was no need for me to get especially tense. Unless, of course, Ichigo showed up like an idiot and ruined Rukia’s attempts at saving him. “Otherwise, there’s no way you would have such a human expression on your face!” I take offense to that.

“You’re from the Rukon District like me.” The guy kept going. They knew each other? No wonder he was so mad about her being that weak. If she was related to Kuchiki, like I thought she was, he would probably be pissed. “You were taken in by the great noble family of Kuchiki… and they spent a lot of time and money to make you an elite Soul Reaper! Isn’t that so?” Redhead pointed at Rukia. “You are Rukia Kuchiki!” So, Rukia was adopted. “Looking so human… There’s no way that’s a good thing!” Again, I take offense. “Right, Captain Kuchiki?”

There he was. Byakuya Kuchiki. Looking as regal as ever. He was probably still taller than me. Kuchiki was one man I would definitely feel better about being taller than. His face was set in a perfect mask of regality and stoicism, just like it was three years ago. Cherry blossoms blew across the street, seeming to follow Kuchiki around. Rukia looked surprised. I wasn’t, but I wished they would hurry up and take Rukia so Ichigo didn’t have a chance to show up.

A car went by, obscuring whatever Rukia said from me. Kuchiki’s mask didn’t break as he responded, “Rukia…” Redhead boy took Rukia’s distraction and charged her, slicing the air with his zanpakto. Rukia barely dodged, her face still cut since she failed to dodge on time.

“Passing on Soul Reaper powers to a human is a grave crime.” Redhead lowered his zanpakto to Rukia’s neck, still talking, “Consider it compassion from the higher-ups for letting us handle your execution instead of the Keigun.” Ah. That would be why Jiro’s arrest was more efficient than this. The Soul Reaper was just playing with Rukia, and it was getting on my nerves fast. Go! “Now tell us where he is, Rukia. We’re taking you in, then we’ll go after the one who took your powers… and we’ll kill him!” Oh, no you’re not! I realized I had shifted into a ready position despite my efforts at just watching.

Huh. It did seem like Rukia did rub off on me a bit. I still couldn’t afford trying to protect her. First of all, I’d probably get killed by Kuchiki pretty fast. Second, I would stall them until Ichigo showed up and he’d be dead too. I couldn’t pretend to be the human Rukia turned since Kuchiki knew me personally. Ichigo was still at the Kurosaki clinic, so he hadn’t found out yet. Good.

“Don’t even try to protect him,” the red head was doing all the talking for everyone present. This was getting boring, fast. “You realize it, don’t you?” You feel betrayed by her humanity, so you’re toying with her to get revenge? “You didn’t dodge my earlier attacks. I’ve let you dodge them.” Yes, we figured that out drama queen. “The next one will be fatal.” Not that you’re supposed to kill her yet, anyway. The Soul Reapers were supposed to just grab her and go.

It didn’t help my situation that the longer I stayed, the more likely Kuchiki would sense me. That was not a desirable situation. I shuddered. Rukia slowly backed away, Renji following just as slowly with his zanpakto raised. Kuchiki just looked on, disinterest painting his sharp grey eyes. Finally, the redhead attacked and Rukia dodged. However, he seemed to be expecting that since he immediately jumped at her. This time, Rukia was knocked back, unable to dodge safely. “Now!” He slowly closed in on his prey.

A blue light shot towards the redhead, and surprised him. As both he and Kuchiki watched it fly off past them, since they both dodged it, I looked straight at the source. Ishida had come to Rukia’s rescue. How quaint. Perhaps I could throw a rock at him and knock him out so they would hurry up and _take Rukia_. The more distractions Kuchiki and his buddy faced, the more time Ichigo had to figure out Rukia was gone.

The Quincy had a flare for the dramatics, that was for sure. All eyes on him, he slowly walked towards the trio of Soul Reapers, speaking, “An unarmed girl being attacked by two men with weapons? It’s not… a very pleasant sight.” No, not really. So don’t look. Turn away now, and leave.

Ishida walked into the light so we could all see him perfectly. In one, bandaged, hand he had shopping bag. “I don’t really go for that kind of thing.” Good thing you didn’t have to.

“You can see us?” That was old news Redhead. I sighed, but almost choked on my breath when I noticed Kuchiki scan the line of trees of my hiding place. How could he hear that? I checked my power; it was still bottled up tight. That man was inhuman! Well, duh, but I meant he was a freak! There was something just not right about him. “Just who are you?”

“Just a classmate.” Really, Ishida? “Just a classmate” didn’t shoot arrows of spirit power and interfere with Soul Reapers.

“Classmate?” Redhead sounded like he didn’t believe Ishida. Granted, I wouldn’t either.

“One who hates Soul Reapers.” That reminded me… Does that mean Ishida knows I’m a Soul Reaper as well? I hoped he didn’t say anything to anyone else. Looking at him, though, I didn’t think he had anyone to tell anything to. Kuchiki seemed interested in the Quincy, and he slid a bit closer to the others.

Rukia pulled herself up and asked Ishida, “What are you doing here?” Proving how stupid the men of Karakura were.

“Sheer coincidence. Nothing for you to worry about.” Not likely. Whatever! “But if you must know…” Oh please don’t say something really lame… Please… “I had a sudden urge to go to Sunflower Sewing, the sewing shop franchise that’s open 24 hours… And that’s why I was walking here so late. It’s not as though I sensed the presence of Soul Reapers and came here to look.” Oh no. Come on! He could have left his cover story as was and _not_ continued with his explanation! “Taking the trouble of carrying this plastic bag just so I could use it as an excuse.”

Somebody just kill me now. “Well,” Ishida wasn’t done? “I don’t blame you for being shocked, but-“

Redhead cut Ishida’s shopping bag, nicking his arm too, “I asked you a question. Just who are you? Well, don’t answer if you don’t want to.” What? Oh, I guess Redhead was just mad Ishida was stealing his monologue. “I’ll just kill you first.” It was legal for Soul Reapers to kill humans willy-nilly?

“Wait, Renji!” Ha! His name was Renji! Eh. Close enough to Redhead. Rukia blocked Ishida, “He has nothing to do with this!”

“What are you saying? I did answer you.” Oh look, everyone was lining up to die, tonight. I hate these people. “I’m just Rukia Kuchiki’s classmate… One who hates Soul Reapers.” As compared to what? One who likes them? That’s not very defining. Besides the fact that Ishida was the only classmate I knew who hated Soul Reapers, it was still stupid for him to define himself by that.

“That’s not an answer!” Ooh. Redhead had a temper. How very… redheaded of him.

“I’m Uryuu Ishida. Pleased to meet you.” I sighed and narrowly resisted the urge to bang my head against the tree. They were killing me and I didn’t even have to show myself.

“What’s this change of attitude?” Redhead had a point. Why was Ishida being so polite?

Ishida answered, “You may be a Soul Reaper, but you’d still want to know the name of your killer, right?” Did Ishida not realize who he was up against? Great, Ishida was going to die not even realizing who he just challenged. Idiot.

Renji began shaking, and a grin slowly formed on his face. “It’s decided! I’m going to kill you!” I couldn’t help but think this Renji was an idiot as well. He had already said he would kill Ishida.

I sensed Ichigo turn into a Soul Reaper. Scowling, I closed my eyes and clenched my fists when I realized Urahara was near him. That meant Urahara helped Ichigo with this folly! Was he making all of this difficult on purpose?

Ishida dropped to the ground as Renji beat him, and I shook myself to get ready. No jumping in early, but I had to be on high alert. “See? That’s why you shouldn’t talk big.” Renji hadn’t even used his second stage zanpakto, and he still defeated Ishida with ease. About to deliver the final blow, Renji raised his zanpakto high above his head. “Let’s go with the final blow. Remember this before you die! Renji Abarai… is the name of the man who killed you.” Ichigo broke the ground up beneath Renji’s feet before he could kill Ishida.

Renji, skilled Soul Reaper that he supposedly was if he would just stop talking, dodged with no trouble. “Who are you?” He shouted at Ichigo.

“Ichigo Kurosaki,” Ichigo seemed blasé about it all. I was pressing my hands to my temples to stave off the irritation boiling beneath the surface. Idiots. They were all idiots. It was like none of them could fathom the thought of just leaving Soul Society to its own devices. “The one who will beat you. Nice to meet you.” Now talking big game was a thing? Where was I when this came into fashion? Okay, no, I was exaggerating a bit. Talking big was comforting.

“Wearing shihakusho?” Oh darn. I was hoping neither Renji nor Kuchiki would notice that tiny detail. Whoever said a shihakusho was a Soul Reaper only uniform, and no one else wore it? “Which squad are you from?” Was Renji serious? “W-what’s with that outsized zanpakto?”

“Oh? So it’s big, after all?” Out of everything, Ichigo chose that question to stick to? “I did think that it was big compared to Rukia’s. But well… Haven’t had anything else to compare it to.” Renji’s focus was stuck on Ichigo now, more surprised than anything else.

“The size of one’s zanpakto mirrors the size of one’s spiritual energy. A kid this young with a sword this size?” That sounded a bit too much like Renji was flirting with Ichigo for my comfort. “Is he for real?” Yeah, totally. Let’s all whip out our swords and compare sizes. Er. Wait, us girls couldn’t. Literally. Since neither of us could actually draw our zanpakto at the moment. I was tired, bored out of my mind, and now unable to get perversion out of my head.

“I see,” Renji sounded calmer this time, “I get it now.” Get what? “You’re the human who took Rukia’s power, huh?” He wasn’t sounding so calm anymore. Attacking Ichigo, Renji began yelling with every strike he delivered. Ichigo merely blocked. There was a chance Ichigo could beat Renji, what with the Redhead underestimating him and letting anger control his fighting. Although, Ichigo had no skill or experience as compared to… everyone in the area. Other than Rukia, due to obvious reasons, Ichigo was the weakest fighter out of all of us. For now anyway.

If Ichigo actually had a chance to hone his skills, he would have been a threat to, even, Kuchiki. Now though? Defeating Ichigo would be child’s play for the Captain. Ichigo let up his defense, trying to attack Renji, but the Redhead took the opening presented to him. He managed to cut Ichigo’s shoulder, sending my brother to his knees in shock.

Did Ichigo really think so little of the strength of Soul Reapers? “You’ll die and Rukia will get her powers back.” Renji was an idiot. Twice the idiot since his rambling on is why Ishida was still alive. “And, Rukia will die in Soul Society.” Ichigo wouldn’t die, not if I had anything to say about it. I bunched my legs under me, I had hoped Renji would injure Ichigo more before he was able to kill him, but I could come up with other ways to keep Ichigo from chasing after Rukia.

“But what an idiot you are!” Renji really needed to get his problem called “rambling” checked out. This was annoying as all hell. “Rukia came here all alone… Just so that she wouldn’t involve you. You should’ve just stayed put at home, but you came after her. Did you think you could do something? You, a Soul Reaper by accident?” Obviously he did, otherwise he wouldn’t show. “You can’t hurt real Soul Reapers like us… not even a scratch.” Now, now. That was overconfidence I heard. And definitely a challenge. There was no way Ichigo would let that one slide.

Ichigo didn’t. He sliced his zanpakto up towards Renji, barely scratching him, but managing said “scratch” none-the-less. “Sorry about that.” Ichigo stood up, never one to back down from a challenge. Looked like I didn’t need to interfere just yet. “I know you were talking, but you were so wide open.” I sighed. The point of attacking someone when they were wide open was to defeat them, not put them on guard. “I couldn’t help myself. But why don’t you continue? Not even a scratch, you said?”

Both hot-heads were grinning and glaring at each other. Perhaps the fight wouldn’t be so pathetic this time. “You were off your guard, Renji.” Finally, Kuchiki spoke again! I almost forgot he knew how.

“Captain Kuchiki!” Pretty much everyone but me forgot Kuchiki was there, apparently. Renji sounded too surprised.

“That boy, Ichigo Kurosaki… I thought I had seen him somewhere.” I gaped. Ichigo and I looked a lot alike, despite being different genders. He couldn’t pinpoint why Ichigo looked familiar? Ouch. I thought I left more of an impression, considering the message I got. Granted-No, no wait. I still looked a lot like I did when I was a kid and first met Kuchiki. He should recognize Ichigo’s face. “I got a report the other day from the Secret Remote Squad. He injured the Menos Grande quite seriously and forced it to return to Hueco Mundo” That? That’s what Kuchiki remembered Ichigo from? I was fairly hurt.

Renji, on the other hand, began laughing. “What a laugh. The quality of the Secret Remote Squad has really deteriorated lately.” Hey! “This kid? Wounded a Menos Grande? Who’d believe such a story? I mean, Captain, take a look! At his zanpakto!” I’m pretty sure Kuchiki couldn’t miss such an obvious thing. “It’s just big and pitifully useless!” Granted. “It’s obvious he hasn’t mastered his spirit energy.” Also granted. “What’s the name of your zanpakto?” Oh no. That was true too. At least, as far as I knew.

“Huh? Name?” So Ichigo really didn’t know the name of his zanpakto.

“Did you ask?” Renji really had a talent for going on endlessly.

“You mean, ask Rukia?” This was mortifying. Ichigo couldn’t even speak to his zanpakto. “So you name every one of your swords?” Did Rukia explain nothing to him? I glared at the small girl. She was really letting Ichigo hack and slash his way through all fights with no training.

“I knew it,” Renji sounded way too cocky for something so obvious. “You don’t even know your zanpakto’s name. And you think you can fight me as an equal?” Renji got into a strange stance and I felt his spirit power rising to the surface. It looked like he was about to enter into his second state, shikai. “Well, it’s 2000 years too soon!” Passing his hand over his zanpakto, its form changed into a strangely styled sword. It was shaped somewhat like a pickaxe and had short blades all the way down it like a spine. “Roar! Zabimaru! Look in front of you! What stands before you is…your prey!”

Renji jumped into the air, coming down hard on Ichigo. Futilely bringing up his zanpakto to block, Ichigo was surprised as Zabimaru extended and bit into his uninjured shoulder. Ichigo dropped his zanpakto, possibly the worst thing to do in a fight. Slowly, Renji pulled his extended zanpakto from Ichigo, and it passed through his shoulder spine by spine.

“It’s all over, punk. You will lose to Renji Abarai… and die at this spot!” Renji flipped his arm around and the sword snaked through the air smoothly. He was good. It was something like a whip when it was extended, save for the short blades connecting it from tip to hilt. Ichigo fell to his knees again, shocked.

He really knew nothing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Renji really does love his monologues. About as much as Amaya hates them. He's not quite done yet, though. Sorry Amaya. Well, not really.


	17. The Answer to Your Question

“Sorry, kid.” Renji just circled his head with his Zabimaru, keeping it extended. Was it already time for a regularly scheduled lecture from Renji? How exciting. “But that’s what’s known as the difference in strength. The zanpakto changes in size and shape depending on its wielder’s spiritual energy.” He brought the spines of Zabimaru together and presented it to Ichigo, “And this is the manifestation of my spiritual energy! Well kid, I think it’s about time I got going.”

Renji pulled his zanpakto back to finally attack Ichigo. He really talked way too much during a fight. Not that Renji would ever deliver that final blow he kept threatening. “I don’t like the air here,” he joked, rudely. “Are you ready?” I can’t believe he’s asking the person he’s trying to kill if he’s ready. That was a stupid thing to ask. Why would you prepare your enemy for every move you make? “No answer?”

            Not liking the lack of an answer, apparently, Renji ran closer to Ichigo to cut him down. Rukia, at the same time though, ran towards both hotheaded men. She wrapped her arms around Renji’s sword arm, pulling it back so he couldn’t attack. “Run!” Using some level of skill she normally didn’t show, Rukia settled on Renji’s back still holding his arm, making it hard for Renji to move. Ichigo wouldn’t run though. He was too stupid for that.

            “Hey,” Renji shouted at the tiny girl restraining him, “let go! Are you trying to deepen your guilt? Let go, you fool!” Ichigo still stayed on his knees, looking as defeated as ever.

So little was able to defeat his spirit? Unlikely. Ignoring Renji, Rukia yelled at Ichigo to run. “Stand! Stand and run! Ichigo!” Slowly, Ichigo grabbed the hilt of his oversized zanpakto. The struggling Soul reapers paused to eye Ichigo. Rukia’s eyes were wide, scared for the idiot that didn’t seem to care about her efforts at all.

“What?” Renji sounded surprised as well, “You still have the strength to move?” It’s not like getting cut on both shoulders made that much a difference in strength. The fight was laughably short, save for the talking, so Ichigo shouldn’t be tired yet anyway. I gently bumped my head into the trunk, getting tired of all the talking. These idiots were making this night last so much longer than it should.

Renji knocked Rukia off of his back, her shock making her grip loose. Standing straight, Renji grinned cockily at Ichigo. “Fine. I was just thinking that it’s no fun to finish off someone who can’t move anymore.” There he was, talking big again. I rolled my eyes. Ichigo stood to his feet, weaving slightly. Still, he wouldn’t look up. “Well then, fight hard and die!” Even if Ichigo wasn’t doing much to impress his opponents, Renji needed to stop underestimating him.

“Ichigo, if you can stand, get away! Run, Ichigo!” Poor Rukia, no one was even listening to her anymore. She paused anyway as Ichigo’s spiritual power began rising, blowing around him like wind.

“What’s the matter?” Renji asked Ichigo, still mocking as ever. “If you won’t attack, I will!” I frowned. Renji was underestimating his opponent to the point he didn’t even feel the rising spiritual power. That was dangerous. For Renji. I looked at Kuchiki, but he still looked like he didn’t care. So he would watch and see what happened before moving in. He would probably take part if I appeared… I clenched my fist. I was stronger now. Not as weak as I used to be.

Ichigo’s power suddenly shot out, pushing everything around him back. Raising his arm to protect him from flying debris, Renji narrowly managed to keep from being pushed back as well. With the sudden increase in his spiritual pressure, Ichigo attacked, managing to land a hit on Renji. Surprised, Renji turned so Ichigo wouldn’t be at his back. As he should, Ichigo didn’t give Renji a chance to gather himself before rushing in again, knocking the Soul Reaper into the air with a broad upward slash of his zanpakto.

Catching himself using his hand against the sidewalk railing as he slid along, Renji got his feet back under him and on the ground. This time it was him snarling up at Ichigo, and Ichigo grinned down at him. “What’s wrong?” The spiritual pressure increased. “Your moves have slowed down considerably.” Wait. I stifled a laugh. Ichigo thought Renji was moving slower, not that he was moving faster. “I don’t understand this, but it feels good. I don’t even feel the pain from the wound! And I don’t feel like I can lose!” If Kuchiki wasn’t there, I would have jumped in to help Renji instead of Ichigo. That was a dangerous zone to be in, and Ichigo was enough of an idiot to not realize that.

The fight between Renji and Ichigo continued, this time with Ichigo pressuring Renji. Ichigo kept raising his spiritual pressure, and I almost forgot Kuchiki and jumped in to stop him. But there was no way I would forget about the Captain Soul Reaper everyone else apparently forgot about. I warily eyed the man, whom still wasn’t moving or showing any indication he cared about the goings-on.

“You’re good at dodging around!” I looked back at Ichigo, and my brother brought the pressure even higher. Renji seemed frozen in his spot. It was probably hard for him to move under so much spiritual pressure… I looked at the others, checking for signs of their distress. Of course, Kuchiki didn’t look bothered at all. Ishida, though, was probably miserable. Injured and forced under so much pressure was _not_ good for him. Rukia seemed to finally be feeling the effects, but she could barely sense anything in the first place. “But that’s about to end.” Ichigo jumped into the air, about to finish off Renji.

Renji didn’t move as Ichigo came closer; he probably couldn’t move fast enough. However… there was a reason I was scared of Kuchiki. I looked at the Captain, not too surprised to see Ichigo’s blade in his hands. Before either hothead had seen him, Captain Kuchiki moved in, broke the blade off Ichigo’s zanpakto, and moved back to his position. Neither noticed the man until after Ichigo’s failed devastating blow. Now, my brother had no zanpakto but a few inches past the hilt. Kuchiki dropped the blade to the ground, silently. He almost did the same to my Daiyu, years ago. I shuddered. Having someone break a part of your soul was not a comforting thought.

Giving Ichigo some sort of warning by raising his hand to his own hilt, Kuchiki attacked. He moved too quickly for Ichigo’s inexperienced eyes to see. Even though he tried to prepare for the oncoming attack, Ichigo had no chance. Kuchiki was standing behind Ichigo before anyone else could see, and all of them looked surprised.

It was about time for me to make my move. There was no way Ichigo would be able to fight after those cuts. Belatedly, Ichigo collapsed, still having no clue what just happened. Kuchiki appeared by Ichigo’s side, “You’re slow.” He glared down at Ichigo, imperious even now, “Even when you fall.”

Rukia seemed to realize what Kuchiki was about to do, so she screamed out to him, “Brother Byakuya!” Ichigo hit the ground.

“What’s the matter, Renji?” Kuchiki completely ignored the fallen child at his feet to look back at the redhead.

Quietly, Renji answered, “No…  you didn’t need to help me with a kid of this level, Captain.” Tch. If not for Kuchiki helping him, Renji would have died. At _Ichigo’s_ hand.

Kuchiki closed his eyes, “Don’t say that. If all I did was watch each time… I’d get rusty…” So Kuchiki cared enough about his subordinates to comfort them? That was just sickening. I scowled down at the scene before me. I could still feel Ichigo was alive, but I hoped Kuchiki left soon. If I didn’t have to fight him, I was perfectly happy. However, from what I knew of the man, he didn’t like loose ends. Too bad. Us Kurosaki’s tended to be just that.

Rukia began screaming Ichigo’s name and running towards him. Renji shouted at her to stop and blocked her way by pushing her against a pole, his hand against her throat. “Let go, Renji! Ichigo is-“

“What are you saying, fool? Look hard! The kid is dead!” Not quite yet. Rukia did, however, quiet down. “Don’t you understand? By just touching him, your sentence will increase by 20 years! Why would you multiply your crimes for a dead person?” Sentence? Ha. Jiro died for the same reason they came to get Rukia. There was no way she was surviving this.

Rukia looked down, and spoke too quietly for me to hear. I was so used to all of them yelling, that I didn’t realize they were until then. Of course, Kuchiki didn’t yell, but he was the kind you strained hard to listen to. “It’s my fault he’s dead! So what’s wrong with my coming to him?” Everything. It was like she said. It was her fault my brother was caught up in all of this! She needed to leave, and never come back. For Ichigo.

“So even if it would make your sentence harsher, you can’t stay away… from this kid?” All eyes were on Kuchiki, to see what he would do. “I understand, Rukia. This kid… looks a lot… like him.” Him? Who was “him?” That kind of sucked. Kuchiki really forgot what I looked like. Wait, no. Perhaps that was a good thing. Still, I thought I was more memorable than this.

Ichigo reached out a hand and grabbed Kuchiki’s clothes. That damned idiot! If they thought he was dead, he was scot-free. But no, Ichigo had to make sure they really killed him.

“’He’s dead,’ you say? ‘Looks a lot like him?’ Quit talking about me like I’m not here!”

Kuchiki just glared down at Ichigo. “Let go.” Calmly, once. Ichigo, let go.

“I can’t hear you. Look at me when you speak!” Ichigo! I checked my gloves and shoes one last time. Idiot. Stupid idiot brothers with their idiotic resolve.

“I see…You don’t need that arm, huh?” I jumped. Rukia kicked Ichigo’s hand from Kuchiki right as I kicked out. Too bad Kuchiki blocked me with his arm, but the glare in his eyes showed me it wasn’t painless. Rukia gaped at me, surprised by my entrance.

“Who are you?” I glanced back at Renji. Was that his favorite question of the night? Not like it mattered, my attention was solely for Kuchiki.

“How ya doin’ Byakushi?” Kuchiki glared at me, not appreciating the new nickname he was sporting. See? I did say some big talk was comforting. I bounced from foot to foot, ready in case he tried to surprise attack me like he just did to Ichigo. I was slower in my body, but I was still pretty fast. The wind was on my side.

Rukia gathered her wits and yelled at me this time, “Run Amaya! Take Ichigo and get away from here!” I scowled at the tiny Soul Reaper. She knew less than me.

“Shut up. This’s ‘tween Byakushi ‘n’ me. Ain’t it? Ya miss me?” Kuchiki’s eyes narrowed. He made his move. I was ready. I dropped to the ground, then pushed off my hands and kicked out at him with both of my legs together. Even barely dodging, Kuchiki was pushed back a few feet.

I was fast too. I jumped into the air, changing trajectory when Kuchiki blocked with his zanpakto. Using his defense to steady myself, I wrapped my hand around the hilt and pulled my whole body around for another kick. Kuchiki blocked with one arm, glaring harder at me as my kick undoubtedly sent pain through him. He shook me from my spot, and I backflipped until I was a few feet away.

I shrugged, “Ya didn’t think I didn’t get stronger?”

“What are you doing here, Amaya?” I knew I didn’t need to answer. He had connected the dots as soon as he asked. Amaya Kurosaki, Ichigo Kurosaki. We looked the same too. One plus one…

Still, I would answer, “Yer ‘bout ta kill my twin. I don’t much like tha’.” It was my hope Kuchiki would keep up the talking. My method of saving Ichigo actually had less to do with fighting Kuchiki. After all, defeating Kuchiki lead to a bunch of trouble I didn’t want.

“Is that your answer?” Ha! I grinned at Kuchiki, surprising him as I stopped moving and cocked my hip out. He asked exactly what I wanted him to.

“Nah, Byakushi. Ya’ve shattered ‘is Soul Chain ‘n’ Hakusui. His Soul Sleep. Wit’out those, Ichigo cain’t be a Soul Reaper. Let ‘im be.” Kuchiki sheathed his zanpakto, closing his eyes to gather calm.

“Fine. I will not inflict the final blow.” Gritting her teeth, tears in her eyes, Rukia stepped away from Ichigo’s prone form. I didn’t even notice he was yelling, since I was so focused on not getting defeated by Kuchiki in the few moments of combat. Stepping up to my side, Kuchiki looked down on me from the corner of his eye. “Your answer?”

My answer…? I closed my eyes, listening to Ichigo yell at us, asking what was going on, before I heard a thud. Opening my eyes I saw Renji’s foot pressing Ichigo’s head into the ground. My answer. “Two questions. The second is no.” I looked at Kuchiki, looking him straight in the eye, making him pause before drawing his zanpakto on me. “I’ll deliver the answer ta the first on my own. Once Ichigo’s better.” Kuchiki nodded and continued walking, Rukia joining him at his side.

“Renji.” Renji straightened up and walked over to the two Kuchikis. When had the rain started falling? I raised my face up to the sky. Using his zanpakto, Renji opened the gate to Soul Society. “I will report this to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Be sure to come, Kurosaki.” Last name? How polite of him.

I looked over at Kuchiki, “I will, Captain Kuchiki.” They left. I looked back to Ichigo, silently staring after the disappeared gate.

The rain fell harder, and Urahara came, finally, his sandals clacking against the ground. He sported a green umbrella as he stopped right before Ichigo. His eyes were solely for Ichigo. Oh. Was Urahara mad at me again? Right. I was mad at him too. I watched. He picked up Ichigo. For once I was able to protect Ichigo. Urahara stopped by my side, still not looking at me.

“You made your decision?” My decision.

“Yes.”

I healed Ishida using demon spells, then stood, leaving the Quincy be. We needed to take care of Ichigo. At the shouten we would take care of Ichigo. At the shouten, we would talk about what I just did. My steps faltered, but I kept walking. At the shouten, I would probably say goodbye to Urahara.

* * *

 

I waited outside Ichigo’s room for Ichigo to wake up. Tessai was busy keeping him warm, and I still wasn’t sure if I would greet Ichigo. Unless Ichigo was dumber than I thought, he saw me talking with Kuchiki, like we knew each other. Plus, I let them take Rukia away. There was no way he would accept that I did it for him. Ichigo’s scream let everyone know he was awake.

A few moments later, Tessai yelled, “Boss! Kurosaki is awake! Boss!” Urahara stopped at my side. He had his fan covering his face.

“Will you speak to him?” I stood up and slid the doors to the room open. Urahara was right behind me, but he would wait until I had my talk with Ichigo. Ichigo looked up at me, then his eyes shook. They grew glassy and he scowled at me.

“Ichi-“ Ichigo turned his face away from me, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw flexed with the force. Across from me, Tessai got up from where Ichigo, probably, threw him and sat up properly. Ichigo was obviously in pain, but he refused to look at me now. First Urahara, now Ichigo. I was just doing what I was meant to. “Ichigo.” My voice sounded strained to my ears. “I was just-“

“Shut up, Amaya.” I see. I drew back from Ichigo, my face clearing of whatever expression I was making. Well, comfort wasn’t my strong point anyway. I turned on my heel, almost bumping into Urahara. That damned fan hid his face from my view, so I scowled. I was tired of that inscrutable look in his eyes!

I ran to my room, counting my breaths. I needed to calm down. I rubbed my face, pushing my hair out of my eyes. What else was I good for?! I slammed my closed fist into the wall.

“17 days.” I glared back at Urahara. What? “Ichigo has accepted my condition. I will train him for 10 days, then 7 days for me to open the gate. He’s a lot like you Amaya.” Was he now? “Amaya, you won’t make anyone happy with your decision.”

I stood to my feet, turning to face Urahara. “I wasn’t meant to make anyone happy.” Urahara wrapped his arms around me in a hug. He squeezed me so tight I had difficulty breathing. What would this accomplish? I felt him press his cheek to my head.

“You deserve to live just as much as Ichigo.” Oh. I buried my face in Urahara’s neck and hugged him back. If not for Urahara, I never would have lived.

“No I don’t.” Urahara just squeezed me tighter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's moments like these that I'm like, "Ugh! What are you talking about Amaya?" Then I realize I'm the one who wrote this and I know exactly what she's talking about. I still want to shake some sense into her though. Of course, if I remember correctly (and I do) you won't find all of that lovely stuff out until almost the very end. I still haven't decided whether I'm sorry or not.


	18. Onwards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, the last of my apology chapters. I'm officially putting a reminder in my phone for Friday, so I'll stop forgetting to post.

 

“Are you sure you won’t stay?” I looked back at Urahara. He shouldn’t have known I was leaving until I was already gone. I glared at Minori as she tried to hide behind the shop owner. So she told him. I sighed. I shouldn’t have expected her to keep such a thing to herself.

I put down the small bag I was throwing necessities into and turned to face Urahara. He was smiling as per usual. So we were back to being strangers. My chest seemed too small for my heart just then, and I told it to shut up. Everything was as it was meant to be, and as I expected. “What’m I stayin’ fer? Yer trainin’ Ichigo, Yoruichi’s trainin’ his friends.” I had a point, and Urahara couldn’t stop me.

Minori stepped up, tears in her eyes, “But where are you going Amaya? Why can I not go with you?” I glared at her to shut her up. Minori reached out and I slapped her hand away. She needed to learn fast how to live without me there. I could no longer afford her attachment to me.

“I’m goin’ ta train. Ya’d jus’ get in my way.” Stooping down to grab and close my bag, I ignored both of them. Everything I needed was now over my shoulder and I just needed to get away from them. “I’ll be back ‘fore the 17 days’re up.” I walked past Urahara, trying not to make eye contact. Minori attempted following me, but Urahara grabbed her arm to keep her from doing so.

Urahara called out to me, so I paused my step. “Be safe!” I smiled. Lifting my hand up to wave back, I kept walking.

* * *

 

“Now we’re all here.” Orihime walked into the courtyard and I smirked down at the gathering.

“Not quite.” I jumped down smoothly, landing next to Urahara. “Been a while.” I waved at everyone else and slung my bag to the ground. Both it and I were worse for wear, but it was hard to tell how bad in the dark. Ichigo spun around, confused by the presence of his friends. Who knew; he was the only one who didn’t realize we all had spirit powers.

“Orihime! Amaya!” I looked at the other two who arrived before me, Ishida and Chad. So Orihime and I really were the last ones to arrive.

Smiling, Orihime bowed politely, “Please look after me!” I snorted, but stayed quiet otherwise.

Ichigo was now thoroughly confused. I could feel that he was stronger, but he still had no idea how to sense for others. One would think that was important, but Ichigo wasn’t known for following conventions. “Huh? Hey! What’s going on here?” I knew he was confused, but it wasn’t that hard to put two and two together. Well, apparently it was. For Ichigo, anyway.

Yoruichi ran into the courtyard, replying to Ichigo, “Pretty slow on the uptake, aren’t you?” Staring into Ichigo’s eyes, Yoruichi continued, “Kid, don’t tell me you didn’t notice the increase in the hidden powers of these four. While you were training to regain your Soul Reaper power, these four were also training in their own way. Instead of criticizing, bow your head and thank them.”

“A… A cat just spoke!” I started laughing as Ichigo freaked out, stopping a few seconds later. Actual mirth was hard to come by lately. I looked over to see Urahara’s eyes on me. Our eyes locked, but he shook his head. Frowning, I stepped away to be more a part of Ichigo’s group.

“Yes, yes… that’s it.” Urahara clapped his hands together, silencing the small commotion started over Yoruichi’s ability to speak. “We can’t keep talking outside. Let’s go inside.” He motioned towards the open shouten doors. As I walked in, I felt a wave of pain wash over me and tears pricked my eyes.

Down in the giant cellar, Minori and Tessai were waiting for us. Since there were new people who hadn’t seen it, I expected Urahara to go on his usual tirade, but Orihime did it for him. “W-wow! All this space beneath the shop! This is so neat… it’s like a secret base!”

Tessai approached Orihime, grasping her hands in his own with tears in his eyes. “What… What a wonderful reaction! I, Tessai, am deeply moved.” Minori, less weirdly, joined us, her brows furrowed when she looked at me. In the light of the basement, it was obvious how roughed up I was.

I probably didn’t smell too good either, what with dried sweat and no showers available for 17 whole days. Minori scrunched up her nose, proving me right, and I grinned sheepishly. It wasn’t my intention to not have time for a shower when I came back. Gasping, Orihime pointed at me. What happened?

“Your hair! What happened, Amaya?” Oh… That… I brought my hand up to the sloppily chopped mess in the back. It used to go all the way down to my butt, now it only reached the nape of my neck. During my training, something or other happened and I chopped off my hair so it would stop getting in my way. At least it didn’t tangle as bad as when it was the long, thick mane it used to be.

“Alright, your attention please!” Urahara was clapping again and everyone stopped paying attention to what a wreck I looked like. I looked bad, but I moved much more smoothly than I used to. If my physical body was fit, then my soul would be even easier to move. Having everyone’s attention, Urahara showcased the gate with a, “Here we go!” It looked like a giant square made out of stones. I knew better than that, though.

“This is the gate that leads to Soul Society. It’s known as Senkaimon, which is written, ‘Tunnel World Gate.’ Now listen very carefully. Before that…” Urahara knocked Ichigo out of his body. Facing me with his cane, I glared at him. I hated it when he did that.  Grinning at me, he was about to do the same, but I raised my hand to stop him. Confused, he was about to ask, but I shook my head.

Understanding dawned on Urahara’s features, and he frowned briefly before pulling his mask of cheer back over. I needed my physical body, because I needed it to break the seal. Finally, I could get rid of the silhouette woman intruding in my head. During our brief exchange, Ichigo’s friends amazedly poked and prodded at his body. Like that wasn’t weird at all.

Chuckling behind his fan, whenever he got that annoying thing out, Urahara said, “Let’s continue.” Right, back to being serious. “This gate has a layer of Reishihenkanki, Spirit-particle Conversion Machine on top of a normal Senkaimon.”

Caught on the strange explanation, Ichigo repeated, “Spirit-particle… Conversion Machine?”

“Yes. As you already know, the Soul Society is a world of spirits. It is impossible to enter that world unless you have the form of a spirit. However, only Ichigo, as a Soul Reaper, can cross through. So we will use the Henkanki to convert you into spirits.” Perhaps, I looked around at the group going to Soul Society, we could actually save Rukia. Resting my eyes on Ichigo, my eyes narrowed. There was a chance we could save Rukia, yes, but I didn’t want him to even try. It sucked that Urahara gave him hope.

“In other words…” Ishida stepped forward, “Even without extracting our spirits, by going through this gate…”

“Correct.” Urahara brought his index finger up to make a point, “You will be able to enter Soul Society like that.” Ichigo tried to start going, but Urahara knocked him away with Benihime. “However! The time that we have to open the gate and connect it to Soul Society is… four minutes.” I wouldn’t have a problem, since I was a naturally fast runner, but the normal ones of our little group might. That was worrisome.

Unsure how long it took to get to Soul Society, Ichigo asked, “I-is that enough time?”

Completely blasé, Urahara said, “Normally, it would be impossible.” He didn’t pay mind to the surprise he caused, “It’s a reckless idea to start with.” Yeah? Then why’d you put it in Ichigo’s head? “I’ll do my very best and hold it for four minutes. If you can’t cross over in that time… you will be trapped forever between the Soul Society and this world.”

The first sign of doubt appeared in Orihime. “W-What should we do?”

“Go forward.” Yoruichi stepped forward, squashing all doubts they had. Of course. I’d be perfectly happy if they opted out of it because of Urahara’s explanation. “I told you that the heart and soul are connected. The important thing is what you feel in your heart, and the will to move it forward.” How very inspirational, Yoruichi. I scowled at the cat and adjusted my gloves. There was no way Ichigo would give up. So there was no way I was either. “I will be your guide. Go forward…Only those who can do that can follow me.”

Ichigo stepped in front of all of us, “Are you babbling in your sleep or what? That’s why we’re here!” If only Ichigo knew what going forward meant for him. No matter how we did in saving Rukia, the entire ordeal would end in tears.

“You understand, kid, that if you fail, you cannot return.” I highly doubted we would all return anyway. Ichigo wouldn’t be deterred though.

“So I just have to win, right?” Laughing, I slung my arm around Ichigo’s shoulders and ignored his cringe. It wasn’t my fault I couldn’t finish on time to take a bath for everyone’s sensitive noses.

“Exactly, Ichi! Tha’s the spirit!” I locked eyes with Urahara again, and his eyes begged me to say I would come back. Shaking my head, I let go of Ichigo and stopped by Minori’s side again. Urahara and Tessai kneeled on either side of the gate and started sending power into it. The middle of the square, and their hands, began glowing a bright bluish white.

“Are you ready?” Urahara sure was rushing us. Well, I guess with an impending execution, he needed to. “Run in the instant it opens.” I crouched so I could push off the ground harder. They sure looked relaxed for sprinting four minutes from the living world to the Spirit world. “Let’s do it!” This might be my last chance… to tell him goodbye…

“Goodbye, Urahara, Tessai!” I felt a slight falter right before the gate opened. That was all I needed to say for Urahara to know… I wasn’t coming back. We ran through the gate all at once.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Thoughts, feelings, whatever. Are you excited for more? Do you all still like Amaya? Does anyone like Amaya at all? I'm curious.


	19. Jidanbo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! I remembered today was Friday! I almost let the day pass me by again, though. Whew. I need to be more careful. Anyway, it was kind of funny, I got a comment from someone who doesn't like Amaya. And this is funny to me because I perfectly understand why. So, to that person, thank you for reading so much about Amaya even though you don't like her. I admit, it is gross isn't it? That she hasn't had a proper bath for so long. Eugh. Seriously Amaya, you stink. She's also a crude smart ass who seriously needs to check her speech. Oh yeah, if I wasn't so biased for Amaya, I would want to sock her one. Well, anyway, I know my darling child is a punk ass, but I would greatly appreciate it if you all put up with her selfishness a little longer. I understand perfectly if you don't like her. Sometimes I don't either.

 

Minori and I were right behind Yoruichi, the others a few more feet back. They kept looking back at the Restrictive Current as it tried to close in on us. “What’s happening?!” Didn’t they realize looking back only slowed them down?

Ishida answered Ichigo, “The wall is catching up to us!” Probably because they were all wasting energy and speed in lieu of eying the wall. “The place we just ran through is collapsing!”

Yoruichi didn’t look back, but he scolded the others, “If you have time to look back, you have time to run! It’s all over if the Restrictive Current swallows you up!” Just after Yoruichi said that, Ishida got grabbed by a trail of the Restrictive Current.

Yelling back at him, and grabbing his zanpakto, Ichigo was about to run to his rescue. “The fool! It’s that crazy get up he has on!”

Luckily, Yoruichi made Ichigo pause. “Hold it! Do not use your zanpakto! The current entangles the spiritual body. If you use your zanpakto, you will get caught too.” It was quaint that they thought we had enough time to stop and chat. Chad, using his strength, tore Ishida’s stupid cape, freeing the Quincy. He threw Ishida over his shoulder, and we were all back to running, finally.

“Put me down, Chad! I can run on my own!”

Growling, I shouted back at them, “We don’ ‘ave time fer yer pride. Put up wit’ it!” Now Minori and I were leading, since we didn’t stop with the rest of them. I heard a gasp and looked behind me; it was Ishida again.

“Hey guys.” What was this? A tea party? Yeah! Let’s all chill here for a bit and get stuck in this place for eternity! “Something’s… Something’s coming.” Well, at least with Chad carrying Ishida, we had eyes behind us. Not! I glanced back. Oh, wait. “What is that?!” Ishida sounded reasonably terrified of the train-like thing chasing us down.

Yoruichi found it in himself to answer Ishida, “It’s the Cleaner! It appears once every seven days! And this had to be the day! Anyway, run! It’s incredibly fast!” Really? Run? I thought we were supposed to amble. The opening was so close. It was a small rectangle just in front of us, and I pushed my legs to work harder.

“It’s no good!” I never realized what a defeatist Ishida was. “We can’t outrun it!” I looked back to see the Cleaner really was very close to the four in the back. Orihime lagged, turned, and activated her power. Idiot!

“Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily! Santen Kesshun! I reject!” A shield blocked the Cleaner and, with an explosion, we all blasted through the opening. Even though I expected a crash, I wasn’t able to control my body as it was forced towards the ground from the explosion. The best I could do was roll, and when I hit the ground I rolled until I got my feet under me. I didn’t even try standing, just in case I got vertigo.

Looking around, I saw everyone, each in different positions. Chad, like me, was kneeling. Ishida and Ichigo were in… strange positions that looked extremely painful. Orihime seemed fine, sitting up, and Yoruichi was sprawled out. I looked for Minori and saw her pressed against a wall. “Is everyone all right?” Orihime shouted out when she got out of her daze. Scowling at Orihime, I rocked to my feet and went to help Minori up.

“Wow! Ichigo!” Orihime was too excitable for having just been through that. “The way you land is so artistic!” What was wrong with that girl?

“Cripes… That was something else.” Ishida was getting up from however he was sprawled. “This is more than I expected.” Pulling another cape out of his white uniform/outfit he said, “I never thought I’d use my extra cape so soon.” I pressed my face into my hands, resisting the urge to scream. What was wrong with these people?!

“I’m so glad,” Orihime remained cheerful even though she could have killed us all. “No one seems to be hurt.”

Just as mad as me, Yoruichi attacked Orihime, “What’s there to be glad about? Were you not listening to me? We’re lucky the Restrictive Current made contact with just the shield area. If it had been the Six Flowers themselves, you’d be dead now!” Orihime apologized.

Coming to Orihime’s defense, Ichigo argued against Yoruichi, “So what? Don’t be so hard on her. As it turned out, thanks to Inoue, we came through without a scratch.” I scowled and marched up to Ichigo.

Before I could do anything, Yoruichi fought back, “You do not understand how serious this is.” I shook my head and looked around for our location. We were actually close to Seireitei. Minori smiled softly, at home in Soul Society. She was, after all, a spirit.

“I-Is this Soul Society?” The others stared around at the deserted town. It looked like an old Japanese town, before technology and the such existed.

“Yes.” Joy, Yoruichi’s next lesson was about to start. “This place is known as the Rukon District, the Drifting Spirit Town.This is where souls first live upon coming to Soul Society, and is on the perimeter of Seireitei where Soul Reapers live. It’s the poorest place in Soul Society, but also the freest, and has the largest population of souls in Soul Society.” Our presence certainly didn’t help with Yoruichi’s explanation, since we couldn’t see anyone.

“Hmm…But for all that, there’s no one around here.” I could sense them, I just couldn’t see them. Looking at Minori, I knew she could smell them too.

“Huh?” I cast my eyes at Ichigo, grimacing when I saw what he was staring at. “What’s that? It looks so different on that side.” It was Seireitei…

“Oh _that_ …” Yoruichi didn’t even get a chance to explain before Ichigo went off.

“I got it! That’s where the Soul Reapers _live_ … the Sei whatever…” Not even knowing what he was getting himself into, Ichigo began running towards Seireitei.

Yoruichi tried to stop him, “Y-you fool! Don’t get too close!” However, it was too late. The gates of Seireitei came crashing down. We were all blown harshly, almost off our feet, from the sheer force of the gates impacting the ground.

“It’s been a long time…” The gatekeeper. We looked for the voice through the swirling dust that had yet to settle. “Since someone tried to pass through the Seirei Gate without a travel permit.” The gatekeeper was huge. He stood high over Ichigo and was thick too. “You’re a rare guest… Welcome, kid!” The giant brought his axe down hard, it’s giant hilt slamming into the ground. How was it possible for any human to be that large?

“Now,” the gatekeeper challenged Ichigo, “come at me from anywhere… Kid!”

Still separate from Ichigo, the rest of us watched on. Ishida started off with our common thoughts, “Huge! Who is he? He’s too big to be human! Just what is he?”

“His name is Jidanbo.” Oh, so Yoruichi knew his name. I remembered that there were gatekeepers, but I never remembered their names, since I never encountered them. Unlike Ichigo, I managed to sneak in Seireitei. “He was chosen from among the best in Soul Society to guard the White Road Gate, one of the four gates of Seirei.”

“Guard? Which means we have to beat him to get inside?” I looked over at Ishida, not believing my ears. It was supposed to be incredibly hard to beat the guards of the four gates, not that I knew. Jidanbo felt strong, but I had fought and held my own against stronger opponents. Ichigo, finally growing into his power, was stronger than me. I didn’t think Ichigo would have a problem with strength, and training with Urahara for ten full days.

“Yes. But it won’t be an easy task… In the 300 years that he has been on duty, no one has been able to break through the White Road Gate.” My only question was how many people actually _tried_ to break through. “He is legendary for his power and strength.”

“So how do we fight a guy like that?”

“That’s where your intelligence comes in. I think, first, a meeting is in order to come up with a strategy.” It was sad how high Yoruichi’s hopes were. Did he not realize he was dealing with a bunch of idiots? Spending time with them should have proved to Yoruichi just how foolish Ichigo and his friends were. “Hey Ichigo…” Already Chad and Orihime were running off to aid Ichigo. “Hey! Chad! Orihime! Come back! Come back, both of you!” I knew it.

Seeing the two running towards Ichigo and him, Jidanbo broke the ground just behind Ichigo, blocking Chad and Orihime from aiding Ichigo. Giant slabs of the ground rose up, forming a wall that was high over any of our heads. “I don’t like your manners.” A giant gatekeeper that was picky about manners? This was ridiculous.

I pulled Minori to the side. “Turn into a wolf. We’ll be taking off soon.” I wanted to stay to see if Ichigo got into Seireitei or not, but there was another reason I came to Soul Society. There was something I needed in the Rukon District. It was at one of the other gates, meaning I needed Minori so we could get there faster than just walking. Shunpo would work, but it would get tiring after a while.

“You must be country bumpkins.” I rejoined Yoruichi and Ishida as the giant kept going. “Now listen up. We have rules in the city. First,” he brought a finger up, “wash your hands when you return from outside. Two,” he unfurled a second finger, “don’t eat food that’s fallen on the floor. Three,” a third finger joined the first two, “when you fight, it’s one on one.” We were barely in Soul Society for five minutes and a headache was already threatening to begin at my temples.

“My first opponent will be that _kid_ … with the candy hair.” Candy hair? What kind of candy did they eat in Soul Society? “You wait here quietly, until I’m done.” Jidanbo turned around and walked back towards the gate. Chad whispered something at Orihime, but I couldn’t hear. “What?” Jidanbo turned back around and eyed Chad and Orihime. There was no way he could hear that. “Are you still scheming something?”

“Hey! Chad! Orihime!” Ichigo shouted from the other side.

They ran just a bit closer to the wall. “Ichigo! Are you all right? You’re not hurt?”

“No, I’m alive and kicking!”

Orihime shouted again, “Wait over there, we’re-“

“About that,” Ichigo interrupted Orihime before she could keep going, “Orihime… Can you and Chad just stay put?” So Ichigo could tell that he could beat Jidanbo? Or was he just being cocky, like before?

“What’re you saying, Ichigo? That’s-“

Ichigo interrupted Orihime again, “Never mind. Don’t worry, just wait.” Just hurry up and fight Jidanbo already.

Ishida ran up to join Orihime and Chad. With the others out of earshot, I took the chance to warn Yoruichi of my plans. “So, did Urahara tell ya ‘bout me?” The black cat looked up at me.

“Yes. He said you might run off when we got to Soul Society.” I grinned. Urahara knew me so well. It made things easier that Urahara already explained everything to Yoruichi. Knowing how he felt about the whole thing, I was worried he’d get in my way. I shook my head. No, nevermind. Urahara would never do that, not after helping me so much before now.

“Yep. After this fight, Minori ‘n’ me’ll be goin’. Don’t let ‘em follow us? Ya’ll will jus’ slow us down.” Yoruichi’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue. I would get into Seireitei my own way, and protect Ichigo my own way. It would make things more difficult for me if I was traveling with such an obvious group.

Jidanbo’s axe crashed into the ground, signaling the start of his fight with Ichigo. I watched, patiently waiting for their fight to conclude so we all could see something other than a rock wall and a bit of Jidanbo’s head. Air and debris shot over the slanted wall, forcing us all to block our faces. “What?” Jidanbo sounded very surprised.

Another few seconds and I heard Jidanbo ask Ichigo, “Just what are you?” Ha. So Ichigo was proving me right.

“Isn’t it bad manners to attack before your opponent is ready?” In a real fight, people didn’t _care_ about manners. Life or death fights were either win or lose, not proper manners. Ichigo, though, was saying it to frustrate Jidanbo. Instead of getting angry, Jidanbo started laughing.

“You’re gutsy. Good! It’s been decades since someone stopped my thrust.” Wouldn’t that make him rusty? “All right! This is great. Today, I get to give it everything I’ve got! Among those who tried to pass through here,” again, how many was that, “there have only been three, including you, who were able to stop my first thrust. However… not one has been able to stop… my second thrust!” Another burst of air pushed over the wall.

Sounding impressed, Jidanbo said, “Hmm… good, you’res still standing. I’m gonna keep coming! Take this! Jidanda Ten Strikes Festival!” Counting up to ten, a burst of air crashed over the wall each time. At one point, Jidanbo repeated numbers, surprising me. He couldn’t count to ten? “Now it’s time for the finish!” Jidanbo’s axe sliced through the wall, bringing it down to half its height.

“W-what?” The rest of the wall crumbled and we could finally see everything, if the dust would just settle down. Ichigo stood, easily blocking Jidanbo’s axe with his giant zanpakto. It was the first time I examined the zanpakto, and I was a bit surprised. It was even less like other zanpakto I had seen; now, in its second form, it was more like a giant cleaver without a hilt or guard. It stood taller than Ichigo and had a long bandage wrapped around the one end, acting like a hilt.

“W-why? Why are you still standing?”

“He’s standing! Kurosaki is still standing!” I scowled. Yes. We got that. Ichigo was still standing, how shocking. Ichigo struck a ready pose, further shocking Jidanbo.

“Not yet! Not yet! I’m not… finished yet!” Jidanbo pulled another axe from his shihakusho. Raising both axes above his head, Jidanbo tensed so hard his face began turning red and his veins began popping out. The armor across his free shoulder shattered and crashed to the ground. “Try this! My final lethal attack! Jidanda Banzai Strike Festival!”

“Sorry, but I’m gonnna destroy those axes.” Finally attacking, Ichigo did just as he said and destroyed both of Jidanbo’s axes. The strike cleared all the rubble back in a burst of pressure, forcing Orihime to use her shield to protect everyone from the blast. Even Jidanbo flew back so far he crashed into the gate. Ichigo really had grown strong. The seal was practically useless at this point, merely keeping him from his full potential, which he needed.

Jidanbo jumped to his feet and cheerily went off, “Hah! Man, that was close! I slipped and fell on my butt! Huh? What’s that look? I’ll bet you think I went flying. Hah! What are you saying? I can’t be blown away, never happen! That’s why country bumpkins are such a pain. Just wait, I’ll use my axes again and…” Jidanbo apparently just realized his axes were now just fancy, broken, sticks.

“Hmmm…” Yoruichi jumped up onto a slab of rock that was blown next to him. “Jidanbo’s axes were destroyed in one blow.” Jidanbo just stood staring at the hilts of his destroyed axes.

“Hey,” Ichigo rested his zanpakto over his shoulder, “say something.”

“M-my… axes!” Tears welled up in Jidanbo’s eyes and he started sobbing, banging the hilts against the ground. It felt like miniature earthquakes every time he hit the ground! “They’re broken! They’re broken! My axes are… broken!” Ichigo awkwardly apologized to Jidanbo, feeling bad for the sobbing giant.

“Y-you’re not bad…” Jidanbo turned down Ichigo’s sympathy, “You and I are enemies, but you’re concerned for me, a _loser_ … What a big heart… You’re really great.” Jidanbo rested his giant hands on either of Ichigo’s shoulders, completely engulfing Ichigo.

“Er… Well, when someone cries that much, anyone would want to console him.”

Standing up once he wiped away his tears, Jidanbo said, “Meanwhile, I’m acting like a kid over mere axes…” No, they were his weapons. Even though it was overly dramatic, I could understand Jidanbo’s reaction. “I’m an embarrassment as a man! It’s…” Jidanbo slumped again, “my loss! A complete loss! As a warrior… as a man… I lost to you completely! It’s been 300 years since I became the guard of the White Road Gate. I’ve never once lost!” Really? It looked so easy though… “You are the first man to defeat me. Pass! I, Jidanbo, grant your permission to pass through the White Road Gate!”

“Huh? Y-yeah!” So Ichigo _would_ get into Seireitei. Minori shifted next to me, getting ready to go. Once they entered Seireitei, we would leave, not to see them for some time.

“Can all of us really pass?” Ishida asked Jidanbo, unsure of the giant’s intentions.

“Yes. I lost to your leader. I have no right to stop you.” Ishida began protesting Ichigo’s leadership. “Your name is Kurosaki?” Why was Jidanbo taking an interest in Ichigo’s name?

“Yeah, Ichigo Kurosaki.”

“Ichigo, huh? That’s a cute name.” I snorted.

Angry as ever, Ichigo yelled at Jidanbo, “Shut up! Ichi means ‘one’ and go stands for ‘protect!’ It’s not cute!”

Smiling, Jidanbo just said, “Take care, Ichigo. I don’t know why you are passing through this gate… But on the other side, they’re all strong.” Jidanbo rested his hand on the gate. We knew that. Ichigo just smirked and said what I thought. “All right. As long as you know. Okay, I’ll open the gate so stay back.” Sighing, I watched Ichigo’s back as Jidanbo stuck his hands under the gate. I didn’t want to separate from them, but I had to. I climbed on Minori’s back, still watching them, waiting until they passed through. “Don’t get scared. I’ll give it one heave.”

Slowly, Jidanbo lifted the gate. They were all so stuck on his display of strength that they didn’t notice the group of Soul Reapers waiting on the other side. Frowning, I tangled my fingers in Minori’s fur. I saw the white haori of a captain, and a sinking feeling entered my heart. Which captain was it?

“Who’s that?” Ichigo just stood by Jidanbo, not even knowing why he should be worried.

Stammering, Jidanbo answered. “Captain of Squad 3... Gin Ichimaru.” Finally, I could make out the silver hair and fox face of Captain Ichimaru. I scowled. Ichigo wouldn’t make it through. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Urgh! Why is Amaya planning on splitting up from them?! Oh, and I have received comments asking why Amaya won't be coming back... I really wish I could answer that. But I can't. So I shan't. Amaya doesn't even like to spill her secrets in her own head, how messed up is that?


	20. Separation

 

To stay or not to stay? Even though Ichigo was strong, he still wasn’t strong enough to face a captain. Especially not one like Gin Ichimaru. “Oh,” Gin was the first to speak, “this isn’t good.” He drew his zanpakto and sliced Jidanbo before anyone could register it had happened. A large gash opened in Jidanbo’s arm, felling the giant to his knees. Somehow, Jidanbo still held the gate.

“Jidanbo!” Ichigo left his guard wide open in favor of checking the giant.

“Unacceptable.” Captain Ichimaru straightened from his stance and, smiling like a freak, said, “A guardian of the gate isn’t supposed to _open_ the gates.”

Jidanbo tried to explain himself, “Ugh… I lost. Opening the gate is what is expected of a gatekeeper who has lost!” Ichimaru’s grin widened and he snorted lightly.

“What are you saying?” Walking closer, Ichimaru continued, “A gatekeeper who lost isn’t opening any gates. When a gatekeeper _loses_ … It means ‘death.’” Jidanbo was visibly afraid of Ichimaru, shaking so hard I could see it from behind. Impulsively, as ever, Ichigo attacked Captain Ichimaru. Of course, the captain blocked Ichigo’s attack easily. Both mean jumped back from the force of their encounter.

Yoruichi tried to stop Ichigo, but Ichigo was too busy picking another fight he wouldn’t win. “What the hell are you doing? Don’t come now and try to butt in, you fox face!” I snickered. Fox face? Well, I looked closely at Ichimaru’s slanted eyes and wide grin, it was accurate. It was hard to tell, but it felt like Ichimaru’s eyes scanned all of us, stopping on me. At least one of them still remembered me. It was weird, though, that none of them could make the connection from just seeing Ichigo. “Anyone who’d attack an unarmed guy… will be killed by me!” That was awfully big talk for Ichigo. Again.

“Hah! You’re a funny kid. You’re not scared of me?”

“Not at all!” Ichigo really needed to learn to read into statements like that. Sure, Ichimaru wasn’t scary, but he was someone to be wary of.

Yoruichi finally got Ichigo’s attention, “Hey! Stop it Ichigo! We will retreat for now!” Ichigo ignored Ichimaru to fight with Yoruichi. It was strange that the captain allowed Ichigo to go so long defenseless without taking advantage of that fact.

“So you’re Ichigo Kurosaki…” I glared at Ichimaru. What was that? Captain Ichimaru should recognize me, but not my brother. I doubted Kuchiki went out of his way to tell Fox Face all about Ichigo… So why was that something the captain would know? This didn’t bode well.

Ichigo had _some_ sense of how odd that was and asked, “You know about me?”

“Oh, just as I thought.” What did he think? I frowned, I didn’t much like Ichimaru’s reaction at all. He walked further away, turning his back on all of us. If I were so inclined to fight this battle, I would have used the obvious opening. Not that Ichimaru would be so easily hit, but it would be the start.

“Huh? Hey! Where’re you going? Hey wait!”

Ichimaru didn’t answer with his response, “All the more reason I can’t let you pass.” He drew his zanpakto, back still to all of us, and held it parallel from the ground with his arms fully stretched to his side.

“Why’re you standing so far back?” Remembering Jidanbo’s newest injury, I told Minori to move, just in case someone went flying. “Are you going to throw your short sword?” Was Ichigo an idiot or what? If Ichimaru had thrown his sword, how did it get back to him? I rubbed my temples. Calm down, I’d only be with them for a few more moments.

“It’s not a short sword. This is my zanpakto.” Suddenly, Ichimaru spun and struck the wide pose he held before, one arm pulling the zanpakto back, the other hovering over the blunt side of the blade. Increasing his spirit pressure so much it blew against us like a harsh wind, Ichimaru unleashed his zanpakto’s second form, “Impale him, Shinso!” Ichigo blocked with the side of his blade, but he was still pushed up into Jidanbo and both went flying. The gate was closing.

Crouching at the closing gate, Ichimaru smiled and waved, “Bye bye!” Time for us to go. Thinking along the same lines, Minori began running before I had to tell her. We were going east, to the south gate, the Red Hollow Gate. In the town just outside that gate, I erected something like a memorial for Jiro, burying, instead of him, my pass into Seireitei. It was strange, being in Soul Society again. Time had changed, and I had changed quite a bit since Jiro saw me…

**3 Years Ago**

_I was walking alone, not very scared even in the dark solitude of the park. Dance club had let out two hours before, but I stayed behind to practice more. It was hard enough practicing with the other girls purposely tripping me up. I ripped off the headband that held my wild bangs out of my face, scowling. I practiced so much, and my body still wouldn’t move the way I wanted it to! It was driving me crazy._

_After I stopped getting sick so much, I joined the dance club to get into shape. I was slightly better than when I first started, what with being breathless after a few seconds. No matter how hard I tried though, I couldn’t successfully finish a dance without messing up._

_I heard a roar and then a scream. Turning around, I saw the spirit I always saw in the park. It was a little girl, not much younger than me. She was running away from a large, black monster I had never seen before. It looked like a sick caricature of a Preying Mantis. On its face was a grinning white mask. It brought its bladed hand into the ground, knocking the girl down._

_Too long… It took her too long to get up to her feet! Whatever that thing was, I wouldn’t let it hurt her! I ran up to the girl and yanked on her hand, barely pulling her out of the way of the monster’s attack in time. We rolled a few feet before stopping, arms wrapped around each other. How would we get through this? I looked around, hoping for something to jump out at me._

_Any ideas now… Something… There had to be something!_

_There was. A man dressed in all black robes appeared between the monster and us just in time. His sword blocked most of the attack… from one of the blades. The other was lodged deep into his shoulder, forcing him to his knees. Howling, the monster disappeared, and I ran up to the man._

_He was older, but not too much. He looked to be in his 20s or so. I didn’t have time to check the guy out, he was bleeding a lot! I gingerly helped him to the trunk of a nearby tree so he wouldn’t fall. The entire time, though, he protested. “Hey!” The guy stopped and blinked at me, surprised into silence. “You’re injured, mister. Let me help you, since you saved us and all.” I motioned at the girl, but she wasn’t there. It looked like she ran away while I was distracted with helping our savior._

_Grinning, the guy rubbed the back of his head with his good hand. “Sorry. It’s not gone yet, though. The Hollow will be comin’ back.” Hollow? Whatever that thing was called, I needed to stop his bleeding. I dug through my bag for my uniform shirt then pressed it against his wound. Ooh, Isshin would wonder why I got blood all over my shirt._

_“Listen, mister. It disappeared. Just stop moving and-“A howl interrupted me and I turned around. The thing really came back! I felt an arm wrap around my waist and yank me down. The man rolled with me against his chest, just in time to dodge the attack that destroyed the tree we were just at._

_Running was out, since the man was injured, fighting was too, for the same reason. He tried to properly wield his sword, but it was sloppy, even to me. At least the little girl wasn’t here anymore. I wrapped an arm underneath the man’s as best I could and tried to help him move. “Listen, kid! Ya need ta get away from ‘ere. I can’t protect ya.”_

_Scowling, I looked up at him, “You can’t protect yourself. Now tell me a way to help, or we both die.” Again, the man blinked, but his eyes flew to the “Hollow” and then he pulled me back to dodge another blow. Sighing, he shook his head._

_“Alright, I want ya ta pierce my zanpakto through yer heart.” What now?_

_“So… to not die… I need to die?”_

_Blinking again, the man furrowed his eyebrows, then registered what I said. “What? No! Ya won’t die!”_

_This was ridiculous. “So stabbing myself in the chest won’t kill me? What? It’ll just tingle?”We ducked to avoid another attack. “What is this? A scam? Are you working with this thing or something? It attacks and then you jump in and assure the prey that all they need to do is_ die _?” Not a very intelligent scam, but it was all I could think of._

_The man gaped at me, “No! Of course not! C’mon kid. Why would I save ya just ta kill ya? Trust me.” Trust him? Sure he saved me, but that didn’t mean I went around trusting any old guy carrying around a sword. As a matter of fact, I was pretty sure I was supposed to do the opposite. “Ya gonna do it or not?” I groaned and rubbed my aching temples. What to do? I looked up at him. Well, if I did die, it wasn’t like it mattered anyway._

_“Fine. If I do die, I want you to know who you just killed, Mister. I’m Amaya Kurosaki.” The man grinned at me and lined up his “zanpakto” against my heart. I hoped it didn’t hurt._

_“I’m Jiro. Jiro Akiyama.” Just as I forced myself on the blade, he pushed, and a light flashed before my eyes. That better not be death._

 


	21. Introducing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for missing two whole Fridays! I got a job! Yay! I had a long shift both Fridays, so I completely spaced and forgot to post. It's completely my fault. However, no apology chapters. I will just be posting the two chapters. Once this story is finished, it might be a while before I post again, since I haven't really written anything I like.

_I was wearing the same clothes as Akiyama, sadly. Scowling I looked between both of us, but stopped. He_ wasn’t _wearing the same clothes. Now he was in a white robe. I grimaced. This would be fun. The monster attacked again, but I was able to move so much better! I was even able to get Jiro out of the way too._

_So, I wasn’t dead, but I was stronger. I looked down at my waist, looking for my sword, and that was definitely different from Akiyama’s. Where his was plain, mine had a bright green ribbon wrapped around the hilt that trailed behind me. It floated in the air as if it alone was buffeted a strong wind. Wrapping my hand around the hilt, I noticed something click against my palm. Checking again, hidden by the ribbon, was a small charm with fluctuating images. One moment it was all black, then the next it was a myriad of colors. I would have stared longer if not for the monster threatening my life._

_I had all the time in the world after the fight to examine the strange sword. I drew the sword and it felt as if… A breath of fresh air filled my lungs. It lifted my spirits and I felt like I could fly. Experimentally I used a few of the moves I was trying in dance, and found they came so easy! Now it wasn’t so hopeless._

_“Mr. Akiyama! How do I kill it?” I heard a grunt behind me as Akiyama pulled himself upright. I blocked a downward strike from the blade-hand of the monster, relieved when my strength could hold against it. While I was blocking, it used its other blade to try to attack me from the side. I dropped my sword, dodging to the side without the blade, and it unbalanced the monster._

_“The mask!” The mask? I looked at the creepy white mask with a wide grin going from cheek to cheek. “Destroy the mask!” I glanced between my sword and the monster’s mask._ This _was going to destroy_ that _? No way. I jumped back as it attacked me. So, it wouldn’t try to harm anyone else as long as I was around._

_Pursing my lips, I decided to go for broke. I trusted Akiyama and I wasn’t dead. Maybe it was possible for me to kill the thing. I shifted my grip on the sword and ran towards the monster. My body moved so much faster than normal, it was like the wind pushed my feet. I got in close enough to the mask, and then brought my sword up, right through the middle of the mask. It split as easily as cutting butter, and I felt no resistance. Okay. That was easier than I expected. Now what?_

_The monster disappeared and in its place a black butterfly flew off to the sky. Well, that certainly made things easier. Akiyama slowly walked up to me, but had to lean heavily on me once he stopped at my side. “Congrats, ya killed yer first Hollow.” I scowled at him. Did he really have to speak like that? It was annoying, and hard to decipher._

_“That is_ great _. How do I get back to normal?” I felt different. I didn’t feel empty, like before. There was something new, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I didn’t like it though._

_Akiyama gasped and would have fallen to his knees if I wasn’t already there to catch him. This wasn’t good. “Can ya help me a li’l longer? There’s someone I need ta see.” I scowled as I figured out what the hell he was saying. That was really, really annoying._

_“Are you even speaking my language? No, nevermind. Where to?”_

* * *

 

 _A candy shop. He wanted to go to a candy shop. It was an old-styled mom-and-pop store. However, it was still a_ candy shop _. Grinning at me, Akiyama let go of me to slide open the front door. Just inside was the largest man I had ever seen. He would probably tower over Isshin, if they stood next to each other. I admit, I gaped at him. I could barely see his face, since it was so far away. How did_ anyone _get that tall?_

_“I’m sorry sir, the shop is clo-Oh. I apologize. I didn’t know it was you. Let me go get the manager.” Manager? Was that guy as gigantic as him? How did they know Akiyama? Was there some sort of spirit gang going around fighting monsters or something? Another tall man, but not as tall as the first, entered, covering his face with a fan. He was pale, unlike the dark giant, and the tanned Akiyama. All I could see between his hat’s shadow and his fan was a pair of cheerful gray eyes. He had shaggy blond hair, and he was wearing all green, albeit in different shades. Was that his favorite color or something?_

_“Hey, Jiro.” I never knew it was possible for people to actually speak like that. It made me think of, when girls texted and they added all the extra symbols at the end, that. Yeah. He spoke like he was adding the little squiggly line at the end. I furrowed my brows, how was that possible? “Oh? Who’s this?” The pale guy was looking straight at me, and I felt sort of fidgety. His eyes were suspicious and made me think-“Oh, she’s so cute!” As two arms wrapped around me, I knew exactly why I was nervous. He was like Isshin. What was it with large, scruffy men being weirdos? I tried to push him off, but he wouldn’t budge. He nuzzled my cheek, and his stubble itched. Er, no, wait. It tickled. I giggled against my will._

_“Could you get off me? You stink.” Giving me teary puppy dog eyes, the owner backed up. He quickly lost the pitiful look and smiled down at me. When did he lose his fan? I heard a snap and my eyes were drawn to the fan in his hand that he just snapped shut. Oh. I looked back at his face, but I still couldn’t see his eyes well enough. I hated tall people._

_“So mean.” There was that squiggly again. “Who might this be, Jiro?” Didn’t he already ask that? Ah well._

_Jiro patted my head. Aw, man. My hair was a pain to manage in the morning, it didn’t occur to me until now, but I just bet it was a wild mess. “This ‘ere is Amaya-“_

_“Miss Kurosaki.” Jiro paused and looked down at me. I scowled at him. “Please do not call me so familiarly. My last name is Kurosaki, and it is only polite to add a prefix, Mr. Akiyama.” Both Akiyama and the shopowner smiled down at me, then started laughing. Why were they laughing? It was proper manners!_

_“C’mon,” Akiyama crouched down to sling an arm across my shoulders again. Wasn’t he supposed to be injured? “Loosen up, Amaya-“_

_“Miss Kurosaki.”_

_“Yer gonna stress out if yer always so wound up.” I stepped out of Akiyama’s grasp, slightly pleased as he grunted and fell to the ground. He pouted at me, but I felt no remorse. “Fine. I’ll get ya back, Amaya.”_

_“Miss Kurosaki.” Both men grinned at me again._

_“Wow, Amaya’s so cute!” I glared at the shop manager. Not him too. “Now, why is she a Soul Reaper?” A Soul Reaper? He hid his face behind his fan, and I felt irritation rise. What was with the mysterious act? It was annoying. Both of them. Both of them were so annoying!_

_Akiyama was about to respond, but I slapped my hand over his mouth. “First things first, Mr. Akiyama is injured. Please help him before it gets too far.” The manager looked at me for a few seconds then turned his attention to Akiyama’s injured shoulder. The blood had slowed down, but it was still flowing. If they continued any longer, Akiyama would bleed out._

_“I see. Tessai, can you prepare a room for Jiro?” The giant nodded and left. So his name was Tessai. What was the shop manager’s? I looked back at the tall, pale man as he picked Akiyama up and slung him over his shoulder. Wow. He was strong. I could barely keep Akiyama on his feet, but this guy just picked him up like it was nothing. I trailed after him as he began walking after Tessai._

_“So, little Amaya.” I growled and corrected him, he just chuckled and kept going, “What happened?” I pouted. I suppose I wouldn’t learn his name until later._

_“Some big monster, um… I think Mr. Akiyama called it a Hollow? Attacked. He got hurt saving me and another little girl. So, he, um, did something. I’m not quite sure what he did. But I was in those weird robes and had a sword too. I killed the Hollow.” The manager hummed then slid open a door, revealing a laid out futon and Tessai. He tossed Akiyama on the futon, then turned to me, his face covered with the fan again. That would get old fast._

_“Let’s go talk and leave Tessai to this. Jiro will be fine.” I nodded and let the man gently push me from the room. He led me by keeping one elegant hand pressed against the top of my back. I looked up at him and examined his hand holding the fan. I was right. He had the prettiest hands... They were so pale, but he had such long fingers. I looked down at my own stubby digits. I wanted hands like his when I grew up. Not like Isshin’s. I grimaced at the thought of having thick fingers. No girl wanted that. Of course, I might not live to be that old…_

_Just then realizing we stopped, I looked up at the manager, surprised to see his eyes settled on me. Huh. Did he notice my staring? I tilted my head, but frowned when his grin widened. He slid open the door in front of us, and I took in the dining room. It was done like a traditional dining room, with the low table and cushions for seats. I was guided to the closest cushion, and the man went around the table to sit opposite me. He smoothly settled into the floor, and I blushed. I just sort of plopped down. It wasn’t smooth or beautiful. Of course, my eye twitched, he had to ruin it by sitting so inelegantly and grinning like a fool._

_“So, Amaya…” I looked into his eyes, now closer because we were both sitting. They_ were _grey. I leaned closer, they were a pretty grey. “I’m Urahara, Kisuke.” His eyes crinkled and shone as another smile pulled his face. I bowed slightly._

_“As you know, I am Kurosaki, Amaya. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Urahara lowered his fan._

_“I’ll explain whatever you need to know.”_

_…_

_Hollows_

_Soul Reapers_

_Soul Society_

_Zanpaktos_

_Everything. Together, with Jiro, Urahara taught me everything I know._

**Present**

Minori slowed to a stop and I came out of my thoughts. Looking around, I just noticed it was night fall. She was probably tired. I slid off Minori’s back and slung my bag around to get out her clothes. Unlike her normal clothes, this was a short kimono. Or, at least, a mockery of one. It was easy to slip on and off, since Minori never knew when she would need to transform. It was much easier than working the school uniform’s buttons. She transformed back into a human and flipped her long black hair behind her. I couldn’t even run my fingers through my short hair without them getting caught. Besides eternal tangles, and I didn’t exactly have curls, but the naturally spikey look made for an inconvenient time.

“We’ll rest ‘ere fer the night.” Minori nodded, and I just leaned up against a tree.

“I’ll go get something to eat, Amaya.” I shrugged, but didn’t say anything as Minori ran off into the forest to go get food. All I did was close my eyes.

**3 Years Ago**

_“Yer so cute, Amaya!” I tried to fend off Akiyama’s evil hands, out to ruin my hair even more. I lost. Of course. I grimaced as he pulled me in close to his sweaty chest. We were both sweaty, and gross, and I hated it when he and Urahara hugged me. Right after dance practice, every day, I went over to the shouten and trained with Akiyama. Hollows didn’t really attack all that much._

_That day was much the same. I went to dance practice, went to the shouten, fended off both men, fought with Jinta over his treatment of Ururu, and then went to train. Tessai offered to start teaching me demon spells the next day, and I was excited to learn. Hence Akiyama’s reaction. I growled out “Miss Kurosaki” before giving up and letting Akiyama hug me. I would never win with these two._

_“There’s a Hollow.” I finally got Akiyama to pause, and I closed my eyes to make sure I was right. I didn’t want to be happy, but I couldn’t help the small spark of pride that I was able to sense it so well._

_Akiyama’s brows furrowed so close together, they almost touched. “Yer kiddin’ me, Amaya. I don’t sense a thing.” I glared at Akiyama then turned to Urahara, hoping for backup. Chuckling, Urahara got out his fan and hid his face again. Still, he nodded. Akiyama got his powers back, but he wasn’t all that strong, so sometimes he couldn’t sense Hollows when I was around._

_“Ready, Amaya?” Before I could ask what Urahara meant, he pushed Benihime through my head, and my soul was pushed out of my body. Stumbling forward, I tried to catch myself before turning to glare at Urahara. He needed to stop doing it like that! A little more warning would have been appreciated!_

_Sighing in defeat, as per usual, I fingered the green ribbon twisting every which way in the air. I still wasn’t able to hear my zanpakto’s name, but I had a feeling it would be soon. Akiyama knocked me forward with a palm against my back. Once he had my attention, he gestured towards the ladder leading from the cavernous basement under Urahara’s shouten. “Lead the way, Amaya.”_


	22. Memories of Joy

 

_Defeating the Hollow was easy, with the training Urahara and Akiyama had me going through. We were on our way back to the shouten with Akiyama talking nonsense in my ear, and me correcting his language. Well, the corrections went both way._

_Inside the shouten doors, Akiyama stopped me and turned me to face him, his hands on my shoulders. “C’mon, Amaya,” I corrected him again, “ya know ya wanna. Say it. Jus’ say ‘Jiro’ ‘n’ I’ll leave ya ‘lone.” I rolled my eyes. If I said Jiro, he would keep going with “ya” and “c’mon” and “wanna,” “gonna” so on and so forth. I shook my head. Nope, I knew he would never leave me “’lone.”_

_“Bullying Amaya again, Jiro?” I scowled at Urahara. There he was again, with his mocking. Mid-correction, Urahara sat at his usual spot at the back of the shop and I silently watched. I didn’t even know people could make sitting look so… It wasn’t fair. I wanted to be like that._

_Akiyama squeezed me into his side and rubbed my head, ruining my hair again. “Ho? Wha’s that, Amaya? Ya gotta crush on Urahara?” What? I glared at Akiyama. That was the dumbest thing I’d heard out of his mouth. “Whew! Lookit that glare! Ya gotta crush!” No!_

_Urahara chuckled and now I was sure I was blushing. Bastards. “I do not! Stop saying that!” Laughing as well, Akiyama started singing some other nonsensical song as I tried to get him to stop. What was wrong with these people?_

* * *

 

_“Ready ta go see yer crush, Amaya.” I groaned. Every. Day. Every. Single. Day. Over and over. I couldn’t get him to stop. His obsession with my “crush” on Urahara only got worse. It was getting to the point that Urahara started messing with me too. I needed it to stop before Urahara started to see how fun it was for Akiyama._

_He was walking me to the shouten from school, and he really said something along those lines every day. It was driving me crazy. “Stop. What do I have to do to make you stop?” Akiyama grinned, obviously looking victorious. So he was doing it for something? Ugh. The urge to bang my head into a wall was rising fast._

_“Call me Jiro.” I looked up at him. He had quite the obsession with me calling him so familiarly. It wasn’t like he’d be around for long._

_“Fine. Mr. Jiro.” Akiyama pouted at me. Apparently he wanted just “Jiro.” Like how they called me just “Amaya.” Rolling my eyes, I corrected myself, “Jiro.” If Ichigo wasn’t the death of me, they would be. Laughing, Jiro picked me up and spun me around. He was way too happy for me to just call him by his first name. I covered my smile so he wouldn’t see._

* * *

 

_Urahara stared at me from behind his fan. Well, somewhat. His fan drooped, so he must have heard something surprising. I glared at Jiro, since he was grinning after whispering something in Urahara’s ear. Slowly, Urahara began grinning too and he lifted his fan, just as slow, to cover his face again. Just what did Jiro say to him?_

_“You dance, Amaya?” I grimaced. Considering how often he trained with me, I would think Urahara would figure out I was terrible at dance. I had the flexibility, the moves down, even the stamina. But, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get my body to do it right. It was frustrating. Even when fighting, Urahara even said as much, I had the postures down, I had the proper instincts, and I was great at coming up with counter-moves. However, just as with dancing, my body just wouldn’t obey my mind._

_In my spirit form, I had more control, but in my actual body… None whatsoever. Finally, I answered, “Yes, but I suck at it.” Urahara looked like he was thinking. I got the feeling he would be making me miserable in a second._

_I was right. “Do you like dance?” Of course I did. Why else would I choose to do it?_

_“Of course! It definitely appeals to me much more than karate or swordfighting, or whatever else.” Humming, Urahara was back to thinking. He got an idea, and snapped his fan shut, unrolling from the cross-legged position he was just in. I wish I could do that._

_“Why?” I glared suspiciously at him, then turned my glare to Jiro. Jiro just grinned and waved towards Urahara, implying I should answer. Well, it sounded stupid. When I said it, it sounded like a stupid reason._

_“The freedom.” Urahara leaned forward, cupping his ear. I cleared my throat so I could keep from mumbling again. “The freedom. In other stuff it’s less, open. Free. Dancing, you’re free to do what feels best.” Clearing my throat again, I looked away from Urahara. “I feel like I can touch the sky and… um…” My voice started trailing off again, “Change fate.” Urahara smiled down at me and rested a hand on my head. Again. Again with ruining my hair! Like it wasn’t difficult enough to manage!_

_“Well,” Urahara waited until I was looking back up at him, “do you want to be better at it?” I nodded emphatically. I would do just about anything to be able to move my body like I should. “Then I can help you. Come back tomorrow.” Urahara turned to go back into the shouten, and I felt tears well up. It was stupid, of course. But it meant a lot to me. I ran towards him and hugged him from behind. He had no idea how much it meant that he was doing this. This happiness… made me feel like I could change my fate._

* * *

 

**Present**

I felt delicate hands shake me awake. I opened my eyes to see Minori, but she was blurry. Quickly wiping my hand across my eyes, I felt the tears come away against my skin. Change my fate. Ha. Here I was running straight towards it after blocking off every other path. Funny, that I was still afraid of the same things as when I was a child.

I stood up, stretching the kinks out of my back. Sleeping against a tree was effective, just not comfortable. My stomach growled and I realized I probably should have eaten before falling asleep. Being back in Soul Society apparently made me an idiot. Smiling softly, Minori handed me mystery meat that she cooked over a fire. I looked around and saw the charred remains of the fire not far away from me. I slept right through her coming back and starting up a fire.

Shrugging, I scarfed down whatever it was Minori handed me. It wasn’t like it mattered much. Minori handed me her kimono and I was struck again with how beautiful she was. She transformed as I folded the kimono. I hadn’t even thought about what would happen to Minori after all of this was over. She, too, would probably be really angry at me. I shook my head. The only thing that mattered, at this point, was Ichigo. Everything packed away and food in my stomach, I looked around the quick camp one last time. Nothing left behind. It was time to keep going. I jumped onto Minori’s back and she started running before I was even settled.

**3 Years Ago**

_“What’s that?” Urahara grinned broadly and proudly showed off the dvd again. It looked like… Actually, I had no clue. The guy was dressed like he was a martial artist, but his pose was unlike any I’d ever seen. The name of it was weird too. How the heck did you pronounce Capoeira?_

_“It’s Capoeira!” Oh. So that’s how. What did this have to do with making me better at dancing? “Well, just watch it and you’ll see. Jiro and I can’t exactly teach the finer points, but I figured you could use it to incorporate… Ha… You’ll see.” Urahara put in the dvd and we began watching. It was… strange._

_“It looks like… break dancing?” Wait… It looked like break dancing. “Oh! So I can fight using dance moves?” I glared at Urahara. I didn’t see how that helped at all. I still couldn’t dance, and I was still bad at fighting if I was in my normal body, so we were still stuck on square one. Urahara gave me a look that clearly stated he was hurt. Supposedly I was supposed to trust him more. I scoffed. Urahara pouted, and Jiro jumped between both of us, halting the silent exchange._

_“So, I’m guessin’ ya had a plan, Kisuke?” Urahara brightened up and snapped his fan shut. Sighing and shaking his head, Jiro sat back. “Well, ya gonna tell us ‘r not?” I scowled. Every time he spoke I got the urge to hit him._

_“Of course. Follow me to the basement, and I’ll start your training.” Sloppily I got up to follow the fighter. If he thought it was possible to teach me how to move like that, then I would just have to try my best. I rolled my shoulders. I was ready._

* * *

 

_I panted, laying on my back. This was thoroughly exhausting. After hours of slow, controlled movements, I was wiped out. I never knew something that slow could make me so tired. Urahara leaned over me, smiling down like always. “Better this time, Amaya. Want to try one more time?” I groaned. Urahara was evil! Evil incarnate._

_I heard a yawn then snapped my eyes on the Soul Reaper happily lounging not far away. Couldn’t he nap anywhere else? So I couldn’t jealously watch him rest. I stood, everything, shaking. One last time. “This is the last, right?” Urahara nodded, then his eyes sharpened._

_“Start.” As slowly as I could, I began moving my body from pose to pose. The sheer effort it took to keep it slow and tense was making my arms shake, then my legs. I felt like I was vibrating. I was sweating more than I ever had before. Time to flow into the next move. Slow… My mind became numb and I just let my body move._

* * *

 

_It had been such a long time since I “beamed.” And I was. Beaming, that is. I couldn’t resist being happy at that moment. Somehow, someway, Urahara’s new training regimen was working. I just got out of dance, after successfully getting through one whole dance. Without tripping, or falling behind, or anything else disastrous._

_Jiro was waiting for me, and, instead of my usual restraint, I ran to him and hugged him. “I did it, Jiro! I could move!” So cheerful. For no reason. Jiro cheered with me and tossed me into the air. It felt like I could fly. In that moment, I could do anything. Then… I could._

_We went to the shouten. I happily told Urahara. He patted my head, covering his face with his stupid fan, but I couldn’t bring myself to be as irritated as usual. I was real in that moment. I was alive. My fate_ could _change._

* * *

 

We finally made it to the Red Hollow Gate. It looked exactly like the other gate, except for the gate guard. Granted, he was a giant too. I steered Minori further away from the gate, past the town, and into the forest. Finding my memorial for Jiro, I slid off Minori’s back and began digging into the ground. Minori helped with her larger paws, until I could finally see it. My pass. I grabbed it, staring hard at it. It was almost unfamiliar, considering how long it had been. Here, buried under old memories and feelings, laid my choice.

I dug out Minori’s kimono and waited for her to turn to toss it to her. She didn’t know why I wanted her to transform already, and she didn’t know my history with Seireitei. Luckily for me, she just silently followed. If she had asked, I probably would have snapped at her.

At the gate, I showed Higonyudo, the guard of Red Hollow Gate, my pass. Steps causing the earth to shake, Higonyudo opened the gate, and I was once again in Soul Society. Hate rose in my chest and I squashed it. It wouldn’t help my plans at all to go on an angry rampage. Now… I was Ichigo’s enemy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amaya... has a strange way of going about things. What the heck is she doing?


	23. Imprisonment

Clanging ran across Seireitei as soon as I walked in. “Attention all Captains! Attention all Captains! An urgent meeting will now be held! Repeat!” Ha. Perfect. That was exactly what I needed. It would take a while for all of the captains to gather, so I decided to take the chance to change into a shihakusho. Although I was joining the Soul Reapers, if I walked around wearing strange clothes, some might decide it was in their best interests to imprison or kill me. I looked back at Minori. I would need to get her a uniform too.

Looking around, I saw Seireitei hadn’t changed much since my first visit. Soul Reapers would probably always remain the same, with time frozen in an era far gone in the Living World. Minori wrapped her arms around my arm, pausing our trek. “Amaya…” I pulled my arm from her grasp and turned to face her. “What’s going on? Why did he let you in?” I really didn’t want to explain everything to her. I heaved a deep sigh and tangled my fingers in my bangs, trying to not snap at Minori and think of an answer.

Oh well. Honesty was the best policy, I supposed. “We’re joinin’ the Soul Reapers. Well, I am. Yer goin’ inta hidin’ ‘n’ joinin’ Ichigo ‘n’ the others when they enter Seireitei.” Minori’s face was fixed up into a look of utter shock and confusion. It made sense. I essentially told her I was betraying my family, and, on top of that, I ordered her to join them and become my enemy. The poor girl would probably put up a fight.

“No!” As expected… How annoying. “I will follow you-“

“Straight inta death.” I didn’t have time for this. “Soul Reapers kill yer kind. I will get ya a shihakusho, ‘n’ then yer leavin’ ‘n’ goin’ inta hidin’. Don’t worry, Minori. Ya trust me don’t ya?” Minori pursed her lips, but nodded. She wouldn’t ever say she didn’t trust me. Such a shame she shouldn’t have. Since I won our little argument, I grabbed Minori’s elbow and began dragging her behind me. We needed to get uniforms fast.

Dodging the patrolling Soul Reapers and moving as slow as we were meant it took much longer than expected to get shihakushos. It didn’t matter much, the meeting for the captains was probably still gathering, but I needed to move faster. I shoved the second shihakusho I grabbed towards Minori. “Change. Once yer dressed, leave ‘n’ stay outta trouble ‘til Ichigo ‘n’ ‘em arrive. Got it?” Minori nodded and slowly grasped the black uniform, obviously upset with the current situation. I didn’t have time to comfort her.

Leaving the small room, I reached out to find the gathering of captain-class Soul Reapers. “Amaya?” I looked back at Minori. Looking down, I saw my normal clothes folded neatly in her hands. I wouldn’t be needing those anymore. “Take care.” I snorted.

“Yeah.” I began running, putting as much distance between myself and Minori as I could. I shook my head. I didn’t have time to think of Minori. From then on, I had to focus on surviving irritating the captains a second time. Ha. Not that it mattered much.

* * *

 

“It was my absent-minded mistake.” I paused right outside the door. Just inside all of the captains, save one, were gathered. So, they were gathered to scold Captain Ichimaru for letting the ryoka, those not of Soul Society, live. If his purpose was to kill us, then why did he let us go? At his level, Gin Ichimaru could have easily killed all of the kids. He must have had a reason. “I got no excuse.” I could sense the anger and irritation roiling in the room right behind the doors. He must irritate people like I did. “I’ll take any puni-“

“Wait a moment, Ichimaru.” One of the other captains interrupted Ichimaru. Which captain was it? It had been so long since I met all of them, that I couldn’t remember which voices belonged to which captains. “Before that, I want to ask you something.”

“Ah-ah! Sorry ta interrupt, but I jus’ gotta. Ya’ll understand?” I kicked the door open, grinning as wide as I could, shrugging off the shock and glares I was getting. Some of the captains remained stoic—that damn Kuchiki—but I could feel the disapproval rolling off of them in waves. Ichimaru just smiled a bit wider, and I frowned. No one should be smiling at a moment like that. Unless they were planning something. My eyes shot towards Captain Aizen and I was further irked to see he had the barest hint of a smile as well. I did _not_ like those two.

“How dare you interrupt!” I looked back to the old man sitting on the far side of the room, the Captain-Commander. “Who are you?” How rude. He actually forgot me. Purposely exaggerating a swagger, I stepped up next to Ichimaru and rested my elbow against his shoulder. There was one good thing to be said about him, he wasn’t so stuck up he pulled away from me when I leaned against him.

“Ya really don’ ‘member me, ol’ man?” Scandalized looks scattered across some of the captains, but some began laughing. I looked over at the cackling captain and frowned, slightly disturbed. I had hoped it was my stature and age that made Kenpachi Zaraki seem like a giant. Three years later, and standing at five and eleven feet, Captain Kenpachi still towered over me. His hair was oddly spiked with little bells hanging from each spike. Geez, he was still weird. Not that I thought three years would change any of the captains.

Shrugging, I tossed my hair over my shoulder and told them who I was, since no one was guessing. “Amaya Kurosaki. If ya’ll had mem’ries worth anythin’ ya’d ‘member me. Ya know? Broke in ‘bout three years ago… Caused a li’l fuss ‘ere ‘n’ there.” Captain-Commander Yamamoto clutched his chair’s arms so tight his knuckles turned white. I grinned. I couldn’t resist irritating the old man. I considered it something like payback.

“What are you doing here, Amaya Kurosaki?”

Before I could say anything, Ichimaru slyly asked, “No relation to the ryoka right? Ya look so much alike. What did he say his name was? Ichigo Kurosaki?” I scowled at the captain and pushed off his side. I had a feeling one of the captains would bring up our relationship.

“Is this true?” I glared at the old man, but tried to restrain myself. This was going as expected. I just didn’t expect my hatred of the Soul Reapers to be so hard to control. Stepping closer to Yamamoto, I took off my gloves.

“Yeah. It’s true. I’m the twin sister o’ the ryoka tryna break inta Seireitei. History sure ‘as a way of repeatin’ itself, huh? I’m not ‘ere fer that though.” I tossed my gloves to the Captain-Commander, not surprised to see no reaction as the slapped lightly against the floor right at his feet. “I came ta answer yer question.” Yamamoto glared darkly at me, most likely thinking my answer was to fight them. Well, it was just like the Soul Reapers to think all humans were so stupid as to declare war by throwing away their weapons. Still, it was going as planned.

“Ya want my answer, Cap’n?” My question prompted all of the captains to start debating whether to trust me or not. The favorite theory was that my answer was becoming their enemy, despite the sheer stupidity of that plan.

Kuchiki stepped forward and the loud-mouthed captains silenced themselves. “What are your intentions, Kurosaki? You can’t honestly expect us to believe you when the opposition is your brother.” Exactly. I never did. I knew they wouldn’t believe my actual answer, so I decided to give them proof.

“I never said what my answer was. An’ I won’t. Not yet. Lemme ‘splain somethin’ ta ya’ll. My brother ‘n’ a group o’ ‘is friends’re comin’ ta Seireitei, no matter what. They’ll do whatever it takes. I’m not ‘ere to fight wit’ or against my brother. I’ll only answer after all this is over wit’.” Hopefully they would get what I meant.

“You want us to lock you up?” I looked over at the brunette captain with glasses, and grinned. They did! Well, I didn’t actually want to be locked up, but it would provide the assurance the stuck up Soul Reapers would need to believe me.

“Want’s a strong word fer that, Cap’n. But yeah. I’ll be provin’ tha’ my answer ‘as nothin’ ta do wit’ Ichigo ‘n’ the others. Unless, o’ course, ya’ll’re ‘fraid o’ me doin’ somethin’ from a cell?” Again, Yamamoto glared at me, but I could tell he was thinking about my suggestion.

“Until further notice, you, Amaya Kurosaki, will be under watch. Captain Kuchiki?” Kuchiki stepped forward and I forced a grin. I still couldn’t bring myself to like the guy. He did, almost, break Daiyu. Clanging interrupted the meeting and we could all hear shouting.

“Emergency Alert! Intruders in the Court of Pure Souls! All squads take defense positions! Repeat! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert!” As the announcement repeated, the captains, ignoring me, looked out towards the wide doors I kicked open.

“Intruders? Could it be the ryoka? It can’t be…” I didn’t know who said it, nor did I care. I looked around at the captains, but stopped when I looked at the still grinning Ichimaru. In a situation like that, he shouldn’t have been smiling so happily. Kenpachi began running off, and Aizen called out for him to stop.

I shrugged. “Well, ya’ll better lock me up nice ‘n’ tight if yer gonna concentrate on the ryoka threat.”

“’Tis unavoidable. The squad leader meeting is temporarily dismissed. I will notify you later of Ichimaru’s status. All squads, proceed to internal defense positions immediately. Captain Kuchiki, take care of Kurosaki.” Kuchiki glared at me, telling me to follow him. Obedient for the moment, I did just as Kuchiki said, filing out of the room with all of the captains.

Just outside we met up with Renji, the red-head. Before he could ask why I was there, we could feel energy coming from above us. Looking up to the sky, we could see a glowing blue circle just above the Seireitei barrier. No way. “W-What is that?” I had to agree with Renji. Just what was that? The circle pressed against the anti-soul barrier surrounding Seireitei, causing the whole barrier to pulse. All of a sudden, the circle—no, ball—pressed through the barrier then popped.

Once the ball dissipated, I could momentarily see the others floating, but I couldn’t differentiate between them. A few seconds later, a whirlwind of energy surrounded them, and one of them shot out of the whirlwind, falling to the ground. Sensing quickly, I could feel Chad. I pushed my senses harder until I was able to tell that he was alright, to some extent. Three more lights burst from the whirlwind and shot to the ground. Ichigo’s group was no split into four. This was not looking good for them.

I turned back to look at Kuchiki. “Time ta go, Byakushi.” Kuchiki glared at me, but I just grinned.

* * *

 

I positioned myself as comfortable as possible in the middle of the cell Kuchiki led me to. It was bare save for a single chair that was in the middle until I kicked it into the wall. Spending so much time with Urahara made me much more comfortable sitting seiza than in a chair. I ignored Kuchiki and Renji on the other side of the criss-crossed wooden bars.

It would be very easy for me to break out of the cell, but I had no desire to do so. My back was to the Soul Reapers, and I tuned out the shouting redhead. He was saying something along the lines of respecting Kuchiki, which wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. Now, it was simply time to wait until everything was over. I sighed, knowing Ichigo, that would be a while.

**3 Years Ago**

_“Amaya, I need ta talk ta ya.” I bounced from foot to foot for a few more seconds before slowing to a stop. Jiro rarely spoke so seriously, so I figured it was important. Jiro patted the space next to him on the boulder he was watching me train from, indicating I should sit. Shrugging my shoulders, I plopped down on the boulder next to Jiro._

_Despite his copious affection, I wasn’t expecting Jiro to pull me into a tight hug. Ignoring my protests, Jiro began rubbing my head furiously, and I fought to get out of his grasp. I stopped, though, when I felt a drop of water plunk onto the top of my head. Was Jiro crying? No way. I gently pushed back to look up at Jiro. He_ was _crying._

_“What happened, Jiro?” Jiro just smiled and pulled me into his chest again._

_“I’m sorry, but… I can’t stay ‘ere any longer.” That didn’t mean he had to cry. “Ya know tha’ Soul Society ‘as laws, righ’? Well, I broke a coupla laws ta stay ‘ere ‘n’ train wit’ ya.” I already knew that. I pulled from Jiro and stood up, awkwardly turning my eyes away from his tears. I knew he would eventually have to leave._

_“You already told me all of this. Does that mean… It’s time for you to go back to Soul Society?” Jiro looked down and away from me, making me wonder why. He only had to go back to Soul Society, that didn’t warrant the fountain of tears._

_Urahara snapped his fan open, alerting me to his presence behind me. I spun on my heel, surprised since I didn’t hear the shop owner until that moment. When did he come down to the basement? “Amaya, the punishment for Jiro’s crimes is execution.” What? I slowly looked between the two mean. What?_

_What did that even mean? Execution? They never… Jiro never… No way. I furiously tangled my fingers in my hair. Execution?! I couldn’t…_

_What?_

_“Amaya…” No! No way! That was a lie. Because of me, Jiro… “Amaya, calm down.” Calm down? Ha. Calm down? I began laughing quietly to myself. How could I calm down when I found out that the man that saved me would die_ because _he saved me? That was… No!_

_Arms wrapped around me and slowly pulled my finger from my scalp. Only then did I feel the dull ache of pulling at my hair too hard. Who was hugging me? I breathed in deep and buried my face in their chest. It didn’t matter. Jiro or Urahara, it didn’t matter. Jiro was going to die because of me._

                   


	24. Jiro

 

_I did as Urahara and Jiro said when the Soul Reapers came to take Jiro away. They couldn’t sense me at all, since I kept my spirit pressure under a tight lid. As soon as I couldn’t sense them, though, I stormed out of the room I kept at Urahara’s shouten, searching for Urahara. With the man in my sights, I slammed the notebook in my hands right in front of Urahara and dropped to the ground. “Tell me everything. Everything you know about Soul Society!”_

_Urahara snapped his fan shut and looked straight at me, more serious than ever. “What are you going to do?” I looked down. It was a difficult question to answer. There was a part of me foolish enough to want to save Jiro. However, alone, I could do nothing. The other part of me, though, just needed to be there. I couldn’t explain why, but I_ needed _to be with Jiro when he died. Otherwise, I would… I didn’t know._

_It seemed no answer was needed, since Urahara sighed and said, “Fine, just promise me you won’t do anything stupid.” I raised my brow at Urahara. Since when was I the one known for doing something stupid? “Right. The average time period before the execution is a month. Give me ten days to train you, and seven days to open the portal.”_

_I shook my head. “Add three more days to that, Mr. Urahara. You need to teach me everything there is to know about Soul Society. Layout, Soul Reapers, laws. Everything you can teach me.” Urahara covered his face with his fan, thinking._

_“Are you sure three days is enough?”_

_I grinned. I was a very smart girl. “Let me worry about that.”_

* * *

 

_“So you’re saying this will help me learn my zanpakto’s name faster?” I looked into the deep hole Urahara had Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta dig in the basement. It meant cutting my chain of fate, meaning there was a chance I could become a Hollow._

_“Well, if you don’t, then you’ll become a Hollow and I’ll kill you.” I gaped at Urahara. Sometimes I really wondered about him. Despite what he just said, Urahara was cheerful and smiling happily. Furrowing my brows together, I took a deep breath. It wasn’t like I had any other choice._

_“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” As soon as I said it, Tessai grabbed me and jumped to the bottom of the hole. Oh what the fuuuuuuuuuu-_

* * *

 

 _This was excruciatingly painful, and having Urahara shout lessons down at me was_ not _helping. Tessai’s binding was effectively holding me down, so I had no way to climb to the top of the hole. Even though I desperately wanted to tell Urahara to shove it, I was trying to memorize the lessons I could faintly hear above me. It was something about the thirteen squads and-_

 _Oh_ god _that hurt! I closed my eyes so I could calm down and focus my breathing. Calm down. Listen to Urahara’s voice. Reach inside, and_ talk _to your zanpakto…_

The pain stopped. I opened my eyes. In front of me was a large lake surrounded by forest, save for the giant cliff looming to my side. Where was I? What was up with this place? Looking up, I saw someone sitting at the edge of the cliff, but I couldn’t tell anything about that person since it was so far above me. Water splashed and I immediately looked over to see a beautiful woman get out of the water. I would have thought she was swimming, but her long black hair wasn’t even remotely wet. Neither was the extravagant hanfu she wore.

Where did she come from then? The woman smiled at me and motioned me over. I stepped towards the bank, but the water began roiling and bubbling. Was the lake boiling? Was that even possible? There was no way I was getting in that water, though.

Well, that was the plan, but a pair of hands firmly pushed me into the lake. I caught a glimpse of the person who shoved me before falling into the water, but all I saw was a silhouette of a girl. As I sank deeper and deeper into the water, I was struck by a strange sense of déjà vu. Something about this place was so familiar.

I was about to change direction and start swimming to the surface when the beautifully dressed woman appeared in front of me. Already I could barely see the surface of the lake. How deep was the thing, and just how hard did that girl push me? The woman smiled and pushed her hands against my shoulders.

I sank faster, but the water didn’t get any darker. Instead, the water seemed as blue as the sky, and I realized I could breath, even though it was a bit harder than usual. The push of the water against my back felt more like a windy day buffeting against me. Above me I could see a fluttering blue circle of the lake’s surface, but… I looked around as best I could and it looked like I was falling through the sky!

The woman shook me slightly to get my attention, “Look again Amaya.” I did as told and saw that the previously peaceful scenery was eroding into dust and floating up. Beneath me I saw the lake I thought I was just pushed into. It was so far away, and it didn’t seem to be getting any closer. “Your world is falling apart. You have your Soul Reaper powers, but they’re lost somewhere here. Find them.” I gaped at her. How was I supposed to do anything when I was falling through the sky?

The dust from the world began forming into plain black boxes. Somewhere in the boxes flying up my powers waited. I closed my eyes. I could find them if I just… Concentrated. There.

I opened my eyes and reached out for the box, it was too far away, but, somehow, it opened and I pulled my zanpakto from its depths. The box didn’t seem big enough to hold it, but I figured it wasn’t meant to make any sense.

Even with my zanpakto firmly in my hand, I was still falling. For some reason though, I felt like there wasn’t anything wrong with that. The woman smiled brightly at me, “My name is-“

_I wasn’t in the hole anymore. Urahara stood right in front of me, his zanpakto drawn. He looked more stern than usual, and I felt like my vision was blocked. Shakily I brought my hand to my face and pulled the mask off. It was a slender mask, with a toothy grin and smooth red lines reaching across one side in an asymmetric pattern. Any longer and I would have become a Hollow. I breathed in, feeling like I hadn’t bothered to take a breath for hours. My lungs hurt and my hands still shook. So close…_

_Too close… “Congratulations Amaya. Ready for the next lesson?” There was no time to panic. I looked up and tightened my grip on my zanpakto’s hilt. Absolutely._

_“What’s next, Mr. Urahara?” Urahara grinned and nodded. He, too, would not dwell on how close we just cut that. Not yet. We could worry later._

* * *

 

**Present**

Already I could feel Ichigo release some of his power. From the cell I couldn’t feel anything so well as for details, but the others were still alive and not fighting yet. Concentrating, I could feel Orihime with Ishida, still not fighting. Chad was somewhere by himself. Ichigo was with someone I didn’t recognize and two Soul Reapers. Yoruichi… was harder to sense, but he was fine. And alone.

I searched for Minori. I had no idea what happened to her after I left her, and I didn’t feel her spirit power along with any of the others. She too was fine, and was making her way closer to… Orihime and Ishida. I briefly wondered why she didn’t look for Ichigo first, but shrugged it off. What Minori did from that point on was no longer my business.

* * *

 

**3 Years Ago**

_Sneaking into Soul Society without raising any alarms was difficult at best. Still, I somehow managed to get in. Since I wore a shihakusho, no one could tell I was a ryoka, so I went uncontested no matter where I went. It was easy finding out where they kept Jiro. Getting in to see him was the next problem, but easily solved._

_I saw a Soul Reaper going into the building with a tray of food and offered to take the chore off his hands. He accepted and there I was, walking into some squad’s jail with Jiro’s food. “I brought the prisoner’s food.” The female guard nodded and opened the door, and closed it behind me. There was no one inside the room, and vertical bars separated me from Jiro. “Hey, Jiro.” Shocked, Jiro stood and spun so quickly that the chair he was in crashed to the ground._

_Scowling, I brought my finger to my lips and he shakily straightened his chair and faced me. “What are ya doin’ ‘ere, Amaya.”_

_“To save you,” Jiro looked like he was about to protest. “I wish. No, I’m not so stupid as to try that. I…” Jiro sat down and I placed his tray on the ground. “I just…”_

_“It’s okay.” I looked back up to Jiro and forced a smile when I saw his soft eyes looking into mine. Even though he was about to die, he was still trying to cheer me up. “Thanks. I cain’t believe ya made it all the way ‘ere on yer own.”_

_I grinned at him as cheekily as I could in that situation. “I got help from Urahara. We planned this out so I wouldn’t get into any trouble. I just need to lay low and…” I couldn’t finish saying it. Jiro knew already what my intentions were. We spoke a little longer until I couldn’t stay. Every day, I took Jiro his meals, and we just spoke._

* * *

 

_Jiro was led from his cell by a masked group of Soul Reapers. It was time. I didn’t know what to do. What… How could I… I averted my eyes, but then looked back when anxiety struck. I couldn’t look away. Not now. That was why I came._

_Jiro looked like he was at peace with himself. He smiled at me, completely fine with everything. He didn’t object when they made him kneel. I clenched my fists and stared straight into Jiro’s eyes. I would be there for him, until the last possible moment. I fought to hold the tears back._

_We spent almost a year together. Not quite yet, but he was with me for several months. He and Urahara saved me from the mire I was diving into. Because of them, I could fly, and smile again. If not for Jiro… I…_

_I bit my cheek. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t close my eyes. Don’t look away. Jiro bowed his head slightly, still trying to keep his eyes on me. My chest burned and breathing hurt so much. Please don’t leave me. I pursed my lips together, then bit them. Please don’t go. The men in masks separated and only one stayed at Jiro’s side. He couldn’t move._

_Tears blurred my vision but I still refused to cry or look away. Jiro needed me to be strong. Urahara told me not to do anything foolish. I forced my lungs to take in the acrid air. Be strong. Be smart._

_Be strong._

_Be smart…_

_Be str-The blade of the guillotine swished down so quickly I forgot to breath. Jiro’s head…_

_Oh god. My ears rang so loud I couldn’t hear anything. Jiro’s head rolled, and he looked so peaceful. He was still smiling with his eyes open. Blood… My throat was blocked with something. Why couldn’t I breath? I couldn’t take my eyes away. Be strong. Be smart. Be strong, be smart. Bestrongbesmart. Bestrongbesmartbestrongbesmar-Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god oh god._

_Jiro… Jiro was… One of the masked me obscured my view of Jiro’s head. He moved and it was gone. Jiro was… gone… Jiro… A hand touched my shoulder. Who…? I looked up. It was… Who was this…?_

_White haori… A captain. He had warm brown eyes behind plain black glasses. He was smiling at me. Jiro died and he was_ smiling _. Heat roared through my body. How dare he! He was just protecting me and these_ Soul Reapers _killed him!_ Jiro was dead!

_Everything roared. My ears were roaring, my eyes couldn’t understand anything from the blurs all around me. Everything was red. Jiro’s blood, my world. How dare they? My body was so hot. It burned, and it hurt, and I couldn’t feel anything. No. Be smart. Don’t do…_

_I forced myself to breath. Don’t do anything stupid. I looked around. Too late. Daiyu was released, and the masked Soul Reapers were laying all around me. The captain that tried to comfort me was nursing a wound on his arm. Did I…? What was I doing? There was another captain. His face was more stern. Colder._

_Don’t do anything stupid… I dropped Daiyu. Be smart. I let the captain bind my hands together with a demon spell. It would be so easy to break. What was I thinking? What was I doing? Why did I draw Daiyu?_ When _did I draw her? My heart thumped so hard against my chest I thought it would burst out. Someone was talking to me._

_I looked up, it was the nice captain that tried to comfort me. He was saying something. His mouth was moving. The roaring in my ears dulled to a ringing, but I still couldn’t hear what he was saying. He rested a hand against my head. The captain smiled at me. Jiro smiled too. As he died, Jiro smiled at me. Be strong._

_The kind one wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. Be strong. For Jiro… Jiro was… My eyes burned_ so much _. Why did they burn so much? A sob racked my whole body and leaned into the Soul Reaper’s arms. Jiro was_ dead _. And… Until the very end he smiled at me. And thank god I was able to be there for him. I didn’t look away. I held on until the end. I was there. Thank you._

_Once I started, I couldn’t stop crying. The Soul Reaper held me gently, even though I attacked him. I just cried harder and harder. How could I? I took comfort from one of the Soul Reapers that killed Jiro. Jiro made me feel like I deserved to be alive, but then he died. And now here I was, crying on the shoulder of a Soul Reaper. I kept gasping for breath and just cried. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it. I grasped for life and still it slipped through my fingers. Fate couldn’t be changed._


	25. A Question of Choice

 

**Present**

“H-Hello. I brought your meal.” I looked up at the meek Soul Reaper. In her hands was a tray with food on top. It was short girl, with her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. She was too shy, or scared, to look me in the eyes as she cautiously stepped into my cell with the tray. Sighing, I scooted back, purposely ignoring the small jump the girl gave. This was pathetic. I didn’t know any Soul Reapers were this sad.

When she didn’t leave, I raised my brow. Was she ordered to stay until I finished eating? “Ya can leave anytime ya know.” The girl shot a teary look at me, and I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes. So she was ordered to stay until I was done. Swaying to my feet, I walked a few steps until I was right in front of the Soul Reaper and the tray. Folding down to sit on the other side of the tray, I grabbed the small bowl of rice. “What’s yer name?”

“Squad 4, unseated. Homura, Sora.” Squad 4 huh? They were healers, but the few I had the pleasure of meeting were more confident. Shrugging, I continued shoveling the food in my mouth. It wasn’t my business whether the girl had a pair or not. “Who are you?” I paused and looked at her. She broke my gaze and stared at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Huh.

“Kurosaki, Amaya.” Question answered, Sora looked back up at me.

“Is-Is it true you look just like the ryoka?” I snorted. There were already rumors about me, and I wasn’t even in Seireitei for a day. Looking out the small window high on the wall of my cell, I saw it was dark. Time passed quickly when I was lost in my thoughts.

“Yeah. We’re twins.” Reminded of said twin, I reached out with my spirit power. I needn’t have, since Ichigo was letting loose, his power spilling all over recklessly. I could feel him near Renji, whom also had his spirit power revealed, albeit in more controlled waves. So the two hotheads found each other.

Everyone else, too, seemed fine, as far as I could tell. Shaking my head, I looked back at Sora to see a thoughtful expression on her face. Scowling I told her to spill it. “W-well… How come you’re here?” And not dead? Or not with him? I shrugged.

“The ol’ man is keepin’ an eye on me.” Sora gasped, shocked that I called “Captain-Commander Yamamoto” ol’ man. I smirked and pushed my empty tray towards the girl. “Ya better get goin’. Cain’t wait ‘til breakfast.” I got back up and walked over to the wall, leaning against it to sleep. Taking my hint, Sora left my cell, the door clinking shut as she locked it.

* * *

 

_I came to my senses in the middle of a cell. Looking around, I saw that I was on the other side of the vertical bars I was so used to. It was the same… as Jiro’s cell. Jiro… I choked back another sob and took deep breaths to center myself. I needed to calm down. Even though I had promised Urahara I wouldn’t do anything stupid…_

_Looking around, I noticed just how plain the room was. In the middle was a single red chair. My hands were no longer bound and I scoffed. They thought me so weak that they could keep me in the cell. I was mildly tempted to use a destructive spell and blast my way out of the cell, but Soul Reapers would probably stop me before I got too far. Thinking hard, I tried to think of a more discreet way to get out._

_Smirking, I checked all around with my senses. Pleased to feel no Soul Reapers save the one guarding the building, I walked over to the cell door. Concentrating my power, I cast a small destructive spell on the lock, not using the incantation on purpose so it was weaker. There was a small clang as it broke, but the Soul Reaper didn’t run in, so I figured it was fine._

_Slowly, I swung the door open and stepped out. Checking the cabinet on the other side, I found Daiyu. They shouldn’t have made it so easy. Zanpakto in hand, I crept to the door. Since the Soul Reaper wasn’t expecting the door to open from the other side, it was easy for me to surprise her and stun her with a binding spell. It was weak, but it would hold her long enough for me to get away._

_When I stepped outside, though, I came face to face with the stern captain from before. Well, I wasn’t tall enough then to be face to face with anyone really. Scowling, I drew Daiyu. The man stared down at me, haughtier than anyone I had ever seen. At that moment, more than anything, I wanted to drag him down from his high horse._

_“Where do you think you’re going?” I clenched my teeth. He still hadn’t drawn his zanpakto, clearly believing I was no threat to him at all. I would show him a threat._

_“Out of here.” His expression didn’t change, irking me to no end. When Jiro died, even when I tried to run away, no matter what it looked like he wouldn’t let up with that regal glare! Like he was better than anyone else! Growling, I ran at the captain, not caring that he was obviously stronger than me. “Change my fate, Daiyu!” Instead of the single katana that all zanpakto I had seen looked like, Daiyu’s second form was two wickedly curved scimitars. The green ribbon was wrapped around both scimitars, brighter than before in order to distract the eyes._

_I crossed the blades right in front of me and cut them out to either side, intending to bring the blades into the man’s sides. Instead, I cut air, my arms spread out wide. Quickly readjusting, I spun full circle with my swords still held out, but was blocked by the captain’s plain zanpakto.  He attacked and I barely had time to cross my blades and block. Even though I tried, he still managed to get me, somehow, and I was knocked back from the force._

_Snarling, I landed on my feet and bounced lightly from foot to foot to keep prepared. Once I knew how fast he was, I wouldn’t be caught off guard again. Sure, he was fast, but I had the wind on my side, always. Jumping forward into the air, I began falling just above him. Putting spin into it, I brought my swords together. Even then, he didn’t look up at me. My scimitars gouged into the ground, sending leaves and dirt flying all around. Twisting from the jarring, I brought one foot to the ground and finished the spin, pulling my swords from the ground and landing on my other foot._

_Again, the man attacked, but that time he wasn’t able to get past my defenses. His expression remained calm though, further irritating me. More than anything else, I wanted to at least make him as angry as his haughtiness made me. I definitely knew one way to make haughty people angry._

_Forcing a grin, I stooped and began falling into the pattern of my ginga, my swords to my front. “Thought I’d be easy ta kill, didn’t ya?” It was hard to wrap my tongue around the way the words fell. I couldn’t understand how Jiro always spoke like that, but when the man’s eye twitched, I grinned ferociously. Concentrating just a bit so I wouldn’t bite my tongue or mess up, I continued, “Are ya even tryin’?” I swallowed hard, finding the odd accent stretching my voice a bit deeper._

_Again, I got an eye twitch from the man. I supposed he didn’t like the way I spoke. Pleased with myself once again, I was able to calm down and get into the rhythm of the fight. I knew he was way stronger than me, but I could cause him a lot of grief._

* * *

 

_Panting, I barely brought my scimitars together to block the captain’s blow. The wind spiraling all around me kept the blade-like sakura petals from getting in close enough, but keeping it up was getting exhausting. Hearing a loud crack, I noticed a thin crack appear in both scimitars, right where his zanpakto pushed down. Gasping, I ducked out to the side, protecting my zanpakto from the force of the captain’s strength._

_Cutting in front of me with all the force I could muster, a wave of wind burst out, blowing the lethal sakura petals away. The captain dodged, of course, and I had to roll then jump up into a cartwheel to get away from another attack. If the fight kept going much longer, he would break my zanpakto!_

_Thinking as hard as I could, I put as much distance between myself and the captain. Placing my hands in front of me, I shouted the incantation to one of the binding demon spells Tessai taught me, “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo 9: Strike!” The spell wasn’t strong enough to hold someone on the captain level, but it stunned him just long enough for me to turn and run. Somehow, I had to get away, heal, and find a way to get back to the living world._

_Things did not seem to be going my way. If only I hadn’t lost it when… I skidded to a stop when the captain appeared in front of me, blocking off my exit. Just… how was I going to get out of this. “Give up.” Even though I actually got him to release his zanpakto’s shikai, its second form, he still managed to maintain his haughtiness._

_Scowling, I fell to my knees, no longer able to hold up my weight. If I never returned to the living world, people would only be able to find my empty body. It would look like I just… dropped dead one day. What would Yuzu and Karin think? I was sure Isshin knew I was a Soul Reaper, just like I could tell he was too. Ichigo… Who knows? Who knows what would happen to Ichigo if he lost me too. At least he couldn’t blame himself for me. At least that much._

_My zanpakto fell from my hands and I fell forward, too exhausted for anything else. The sky was clear, despite the feeling that it should be raining. I weakly scowled and closed my eyes, imagining what it would be like if rain would just fall and wash everything away._

 


	26. Momo Hinamori

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is it. I'm going to post whatever is left of Night Rain in these next few days whenever I have a chance. I'm doing this because Camp NaNoWriMo has finally started up, and I'm not doing a good job of keeping up with posting anyway. Sorry to say, but I will be going on official hiatus until I write some more fanfiction. My camp nano story is actually an original. If you'd still like to read some of my work, you can read excerpts in my blog elletanner.wordpress.com/ just remember to put "https://" in front first. I hope you all enjoy the rest of Night Rain!

 

That morning, some girl got thrown into the cell next to mine. She just sat seiza and didn’t pay me any mind. Her eyes watched some scene no one else could see, and there were dark bags under her eyes. Sighing, I leaned the back of my head against the wall. A quick check of all the spiritual presences I knew, let me know everyone was alright. Minori had joined up with Orihime and Ishida too.

“Captain…” I looked over at the girl in the other cell, bored as all hell. I wasn’t expecting actual Soul Reapers to get thrown in jail during the ryoka invasion, but here was a strong girl. She looked weak, but I could feel stronger than average spiritual pressure roiling beneath the surface. She was obviously upset as she rested her face in her hands. What was happening outside?

Another woman entered, her shihakusho loose enough that her breasts were more revealed than any other woman. She was shaped like Orihime, with too much bust to actually fit inside her clothes. Sighing again, I resigned myself to overhearing a conversation I wanted no part of. “You look awful.” The voluptuous woman didn’t hold back, did she?

The smaller, meeker looking girl looked up at the newcomer, “Miss Rangiku…”

“Have you settled down a bit?” The girl looked away, appearing even more miserable than before.

“Um…” Both were so stiff, but radiated sorrow or some other dark emotion that I couldn’t place. “I am sorry.” For what? “I have been a burden on you, too.” Soul Reapers got thrown in jail for being burdens? Harsh.

“Huh?” Nevermind. The busty red-head sounded just as confused as I felt. “Oh. Don’t apologize to _me_. I wasn’t able to do _anything_ …” This conversation was already annoying, and it barely started. I closed my eyes as if I could block them out with just that.

“Um… Outside… What is happening?” Now that was something I’d like to know. I peeked out at the women again, curious as well. Even though I could break out easily enough, I had no interest in causing that much trouble.

“It’s chaos. Something like _this_ occurring inside a station is completely unheard of.” What was “this?” “And there’s the matter of the ryoka…” So whatever was causing chaos, it wasn’t Ichigo and the others. What else would cause the Soul Reapers to lose their minds? “Everyone’s moving on their own and getting out of control.”

The girl seemed shocked as she answered, “My God… Then what about arresting the killer?” The killer? What killer? Since when did Ichigo or his friends go around killing people? Who died? I was even more confused as their conversation progressed.

“They still haven’t finished inspecting the scene. We have no choice but to wait for the Captain Commander’s decision.”

“But…” The girl flared up finally, “But the one who killed the Captain is-“

“Stop right there!” A Captain died? Now that was a shocker. “Don’t just say what’s in your heart! Just now, I told you everyone’s in chaos… but 5th squad is the worst off. They lost both their captain and their lieutenant at the same time.” So it was the 5th squad’s captain. Who was…

Captain Aizen. I frowned, he certainly seemed like he could handle himself. Just who would kill a man of his stature in a time of such chaos? This whole thing was starting to strike me as suspicious. Sure, with the ryoka running around causing an uproar in their paths, it would make people a little crazy. However, I knew none of them killed a captain. First of all, none of them were yet at the level where they could kill a captain. Second, I was sure none of them could do so without me, or anyone else for that matter, sensing it. I scowled. I also couldn’t believe any of Ichigo’s friends could kill in cold blood.

The redhead continued scolding the girl throughout my thoughts. “You realize what’ll happen, don’t you? I’m not saying I don’t understand how you feel. But you know… at that moment… and the actions you took the moment you found Captain Aizen… Don’t you feel you should at least think about whether you _had_ to take those actions because there was no other way? The rank of lieutenant… isn’t that trivial, is it?” Now I was confused again. I take it the girl attacked whomever she thought killed her captain, landing her straight in jail.

Of course, I couldn’t think of anything else that fit everything they said, but without either of them saying exactly what happened, I couldn’t be sure. “I’m so sorry. I… I…” The buxom redhead softened and pulled a letter from a pocket. Handing it through the bars, she gave it to the meeker lieutenant.

“Here… It was in Captain Aizen’s room. It’s addressed to you.” I raised my eyebrow.

“Captain Aizen… to me?” She gingerly accepted the letter, staring at it intently.

Standing up, the redhead kept going, “You’re lucky it was my captain who found it. If it was anyone else, it would’ve been presented as evidence, and you might never have received it. I don’t know what’s written in it, but having one’s captain leave behind his last words to her… is a happy thing for a lieutenant.” I didn’t see how that was happy, but I supposed it made some sense. Rangiku, if I caught her name right, turned and walked out, “Read it gratefully.”

“Um…” The lieutenant in the other cell called after the woman, “Thank you so much!” Then she opened the letter and began reading. From what I could see, it was longer than “last words” usually were. Did Aizen know he would die? Shrugging it off, I just closed my eyes and zoned out, only opening them when the girl gasped. Looking over, she seemed completely horrified. What was in that letter?

Somehow, I had the feeling there was more going on in Seireitei than just Ichigo and the others breaking in. That did not bode well. Spirit energy burst out so strong, I could sense it even without trying. It was the monster captain’s… against Ichigo’s. Scowling, I dug my palms into my temples. Of course Ichigo couldn’t figure out how to run away from the fight-obsessed freak of a captain. Keeping my concentration solely on Ichigo, I realized that he was definitely on the losing side.

There would be no point to my actions if Ichigo died before I could do anything. Standing up, I began pacing. He should survive even if I didn’t cause a distraction on my own end. But… It was Kenpachi Ichigo was fighting. Ichigo’s power drastically decreased, and I was worried I would have to throw all my patience away in order to get Ichigo out of his current situation.

The only thing that stopped me from breaking out was sensing Kenpachi’s power drop as well. Surprised, I sensed out for the captain, only to sense he was in worse shape than Ichigo. Another Soul Reaper approached the two, and then took Kenpachi away, without doing anything to Ichigo.

Yoruichi’s energy approached the scene, and somehow managed to get Ichigo’s to move. Some minutes later, I could no longer sense either of them. Frowning, I settled back against the wall. So Yoruichi had Ichigo well in hand. More concerned than I was in the morning, I checked for ichigo’s friends. Chad was unconscious, and I regretted not paying attention to any other energy flares occurring. Orihime, Minori, and Ishida… all appeared to be fine. The two I sensed traveling with Ichigo had left him at some point and were running towards… shishinro? So Rukia was already moved to shishinro in preparation for her execution. I had thought it was too early for that…

There was no doubt in my mind that something more was happening at that point. Rukia’s execution date moving up, a Captain of the Gotei 13 getting murdered… There was too much happening outside of the ryoka influence for there not to be a hidden agenda. Banging my head against the wall, I cursed my idiotic plan. I would put myself exactly where I would be of the least use to anyone. It was like I was cursed. Oh wait… Rolling my eyes, I pulled my hair from its ponytail, snarling as the hairband tangled every few centimeters I actually managed to move it.

There was nothing I could do but observe the spiritual presences from the inside of my cell. At least, until everything unraveled enough for me to get out without causing a fuss. Closing my eyes so I could keep better tabs on the onslaught of spiritual pressure, I scowled. Urahara was right. I was so much better at it than I used to be. Now, if I focused hard enough, I could sense every Soul Reaper in Seireitei. It was… chaotic. Furrowing my brow, I tried to shut out all of the excess pressures I felt, but I couldn’t exclude the weaker Soul Reapers unless I was specifically looking for only one person.

Sighing, I opened my eyes and rubbed my forehead. That was just painful. Most didn’t realize it, but all of Soul Society was spirit particles. Unlike the real world, we were surrounded on all sides with spirit pressure. Normally it didn’t bother anyone, just as air didn’t bother people in the Living World. However, when I concentrated hard enough, I could even feel it’s pressure against my skin. Hence my zanpakto’s ability to make wind lethal just by swinging it. I excited the chain of spirit particles and sent them out in waves sharp enough to slice through any being with high enough spirit sensing abilities.

Before, I didn’t understand the mechanics behind it, I just used it. Now that I could feel it, only when concentrating enough of course, it was almost hard to try sensing anything out. It seemed that the more the seal broke, the better I could sense spiritual presences. I rubbed my fingers into my temples even harder. That was bad. If the seal broke anymore I would become hypersensitive. Essentially making me just useless in a fight.

Focusing on Ichigo’s unknown friends, I was able to shut out everything not in their area. They hadn’t moved at all. Widening my range just a bit, I could tell why. Not too far away from the three weaklings, Byakuya Kuchiki blocked them. Oh. No wonder they weren’t moving. Ichigo and Yoruichi’s spirit energy appeared again one right after the other.

My growing headache forced me to snap out of my meditation when another fight ensued. Growling I closed my eyes, hoping to just get sleep, instead of paying attention to all the goings-on in Seireitei.

* * *

 

 

Opening my eyes, I wondered why I was already awake. Another blast of energy hit me and I groaned, pressing my palms to my head as hard as I could. It was the Quincy. Every blast, and I was assuming they were arrows based on the weapon of choice for Quincy, spike through my head. They were stronger than anything I ever felt from the Quincy, but that was to be expected in Soul Society. Quincy got their energy from surrounding spirit particles, so a place made of spirit particles was a fountain of power for them.

Groaning again, I realized it wasn’t just Ishida’s power causing me pain. Ishida was fighting a _Captain_. Did none of them know what it meant to run away? Or did Yoruichi not warn them of the captains? Rethinking that, I realized Yoruichi probably did warn them, and the group just didn’t pay attention.

Orihime and Minori were with another Soul Reaper, Ishida was fighting a Captain, Chad was still out, Yoruichi and Ichigo had disappeared again, and Ichigo’s new friends were surrounded by Soul Reapers. Which meant, to me, that they were captured. Sighing, I shut off my sensing ability. Whatever Ichigo was doing, it was forcing the seal wide open. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to keep doing it for his sake, or just stop for my sake.

The girl stood, staring out the barred window high in her cell. She turned and walked to the bars, right behind the guard that had come at some time. “Excuse me?”

He turned and politely answered, “Yes? Need something?” Petals fell between them and the guard dropped, unconscious. Raising my brow, I silently watched the lieutenant. If she tried to knock me out, I wouldn’t go easy on her. Instead, she ignored me and faced the wall she was previously staring at. She chanted a destructive spell and blast a hole in the wall.

Groaning, I just knew they wouldn’t leave me in my cell once they realized the lieutenant escaped. The Soul Reapers were fools for thinking they could imprison kido masters without sealing our spirit energy. Not that I knew the girl was a master until just then.

It wasn’t long until the shortest captain I knew of walked in, followed by a guard. He glanced once at me before observing the destroyed cell next to mine. “This is…” He turned and ran off. The guard caught my eyes and I shrugged. Surprised, the guard spun on his heels as well and left. Yawning, I closed my eyes. I was tired and putting up with a sudden increase in spiritual power did _not_ help.


	27. Forgotten

 

Blearily I opened my eyes, surprised no one came to move me to another cell. As a matter of fact, my stomach growled loudly, no one even came to feed me. I looked out the window high above me, curious when I saw it was so bright. Still, no Soul Reapers were even paying attention to me. Yawning, I laid flat out on the ground and stared up at the ceiling. I had a bad feeling about everything. What with the lieutenant breaking out the night before and no one coming to make sure I wouldn’t be doing a repeat performance… Everything was moving much too fast.

_“Amaya.” I groaned and opened my eyes. The silhouette was doubled over as if in pain. Now that was a first. “What are you doing?”_

_At this point, I really had no clue. My original intention was to prove to Yamamoto that I came as a Soul Reaper, not a ryoka. However, with the turn of events, I would have to change my plan a bit. I turned around and saw Ayama sitting at the edge of the cliff. Walking over to stand by her, I saw she was dropping flowers to the lake below. They slowly floated down and surrounded Daiyu, making the picture perfect._

_“Amaya!” I glanced back at the silhouette. Fine._

_“Don’ worry. I don’ think it’ll be much longer. If I stopped Ichigo from pullin’ ‘is power, ‘e’d die. ‘N’ I’m pretty sure tha’s what we don’ want?”I heard a deep rumble, then realized it was the silhouette growling. Surprised, I looked back at her. Always acting better than me, the silhouette seemed to be unaffected whenever I saw her. Neither the real world nor my mind could faze her, and we both knew it. Yet… Ichigo’s growing power made her as weak as me. My own increase in power came from what was left between Ichigo and the seal._

_“Then hurry up and_ make your move _!”_

I shot up, surprised. The silhouette woman actually pushed me out of my own mind. I scowled when I realized what just happened. That woman just pushed me out of my own mind! What the hell? It was _my_ mind, yet she pulled and pushed me at her own will. Snarling, I petulantly pushed my back up against the wall. I didn’t want to “make my move” yet anyway. Even if I did, I probably would have waited just to irk her.

I looked up when I noticed a guard enter. I thought they really had forgotten about me. He silently opened my cell door and entered, placing the tray of food on the ground. Devouring it quickly, I stopped him from leaving with a hand on his wrist. “Wait! I jus’ gotta question fer ya.” Sending me a scared look, the man sat back down and nodded, waiting for me to ask. “Wha’s the sitch outside? I cain’t tell a thing, stuck in ‘ere ‘n’ all.”

Pursing his lips and frowning so prominently his eyebrows touched, he answered, “All of the ryoka except one has been captured. Lieutenants Hinamori, Izuru, and Abarai have escaped. And… the execution has been moved… To tomorrow.” I scowled. No wonder. The whole situation was coming to a head, and there was no telling what the end result would be.

I let go of the Soul Reaper’s wrist and he ran away. I didn’t care, since I just laid back. I needed to be prepared for tomorrow. Ignoring the growling in the back of my mind, I fell asleep.

**3 Years Ago**

_I panted as I collapsed to the ground. I was stuck in Seireitei until Captain Commander Yamamoto decided he wanted to see me. All the while, I found an old friend of Urahara’s, whom he told me to search for if I ever ran into trouble. Instead of providing actual help, he just guided me to a place that looked just like Urahara’s basement in the Living World._

_Before I could express irritation, though, he told me something of interest. He said, despite my age and other obstacles, there was a way for me to learn Bankai, the final release form of a zanpakto. Three days… He said it would take three days. Three whole days of fighting Daiyu, and I was already miserable._

_She was faster than wind and harsh. After just one day I was sure it was a colossal mistake to try to find a way to beat that Kuchiki guy. With the little training I had with Urahara, I was no match for my own zanpakto, let alone a Captain of Kuchiki’s level. Scratch that, I couldn’t even fight a lieutenant._

_The man… Geez, just what was his name? I stared up at Urahara’s friend as I tried to remember his name. It just wouldn’t stick. It was something plain… Like… Ji-No. Just no. “Tired?”_

_I scowled. I didn’t like him. No wonder I couldn’t remember his name. “Shut yer trap.” I winced when I bit my tongue. No matter how hard I tried, it was still difficult to speak with the odd accent he always had. Every time I spoke I wound up biting my tongue or cheek. Or I just spoke slower than was normal to avoid either eventuality._

_Instead of getting upset, he just laughed and offered a hand to help me up. Slapping it away, I rolled to my front and pushed myself up. I was going to succeed and shove Kuchiki’s face in the dirt! “Alright then,” he stepped back, still amused as he concluded, “first day of training is over!”_

* * *

 

_“What is your name?” I scowled up at the old man looking down on me. These Soul Reapers sure had a bad habit of that. Looking around the room, I saw the other captains I had met briefly. The only two I spent more than enough time to say “hey” with were Kuchiki and the brown haired one. What was his name…? Aizen. Right._

_They thought so little of me that they showed me around Seireitei for a few days and left me alone for most of the time. So the ryoka couldn’t cause trouble and couldn’t get away. Ignoring the fact that both were true, I was insulted. “What’s it ta ya, gramps?” The old man’s eyes narrowed, and I glared right back._

_“Please, little miss. What is your name?” I broke the glaring contest to look to Aizen again. He smiled sweetly at me, earning a scowl in return. Somehow him being kind just rubbed me the wrong way. Still… he did ask politely…_

_“Kurosaki, Amaya.”_

_Situation temporarily diffused, the old man continued his questioning. “Are you aware of the effect your actions had on Seireitei?”_

_I sneered up at the old man. “My actions? I merely came ta comfort a friend ‘fore ‘is death.”_

_“You killed several Soul Reapers right after his execution!” I uncrossed my arms and glared furiously at Yamamoto. True, I had. But…_

_Relaxing again, I realized I couldn’t even use my anger to come up with a response. I had killed those men. Just as they killed Jiro, I killed them. Then I attacked Captains of the Gotei 13. “I have no excuse for my actions.” Silence reigned, and the surrounding captains seemed to be waiting for me to continue. I wouldn’t._

_Once they realized that, they all began speaking over my head. Oh, what to do with the ryoka child? According to their laws, they could kill me… I wasn’t sure how I would get out of that one. Even though I promised Urahara I wouldn’t do anything stupid…_

_“Enough!” All of the captains fell silent and all eyes were on Yamamoto. Slowly, Yamamoto turned his gaze back to me, “We will pardon your crimes after a short period of imprisonment… And only if you join the Gotei 13.” What? Some of the captains began protesting, but they stopped when Yamamoto raised one of his hands. “You are, however, too young. You will stay here until you become of age-“_

_“No way!” The Captain-Commander glared at me when I interrupted. Taking a deep breath, I argued, “I’m still a human being. My body is in the Living World, ‘n’ if I don’t go back… I’ll answer when I become ‘of age’ whatever that means, but I won’t stay ‘ere ‘til then.”_

_“We can’t trust you not to run. If you continue to argue we will take it to mean you will not join the Gotei.” I grit my teeth. How was I going to get out of this._

“Seal me.” _What? Daiyu appeared in front of me, smiling. Apparently I was the only one who could see her._ “If you seal me and leave me here, they cannot argue that you might betray them.” _Daiyu’s hanfu and scarf whipped around her as if she alone was blown by wind. None of the captains noticed or felt her. Nor was anyone else affected by the wind whirling around Daiyu._

 _Closing my eyes, I thought,_ “But… I can’t do that to you Daiyu!” _I felt a hands rest on my shoulders. Looking up, Daiyu grinned at me then moved to hug me fully. I resisted the urge to hug her back._

 _Whispering,_ “It’s alright, Amaya. I trust you,” _Daiyu disappeared. I bit my cheek then nodded._

_“How about I propose a third option?” Yamamoto frowned but waved me on. I pulled Daiyu from my waist and held her straight in front of me, parallel to the ground, “I will seal my zanpakto and leave it here. You wouldn’t have any problem with me returning to the Living World then, would you?” The captains were shocked. It was unheard of to do such a thing to one’s own zanpakto._

_“To what end?” The old man sure was pushing hard for me to stay._

_“My third option, remain a normal human being and go on with my life.” We all knew that would never be an option. But it was a way to stall my decision. “Once I’ve made my decision, I will have to return for my zanpakto. Then, and only then, I will give you my answer. I will have to either join the Gotei 13, or I will fight you all until my death.” The captain with an eyepatch started laughing, thinking my proposition humorous. I studiously ignored his cackling and kept my eyes on Yamamoto._

_“We accept your proposition.”_

* * *

 

_“I’ve never seen a seal like that. It’s amazing that one as young as you is so talented.” I looked up at the captain. Captain Aizen had offered to keep an eye on me and guide me to where I was sealing Daiyu. Afterwards he was to show me to the senkaimon, the gate where I was to leave Soul Society._

_I shrugged. “It kinda makes sense fer me ta be a natural wit’ seals.”_

_Aizen stopped walking and looked down at me, “Why is that?”_

_Scowling, I nudged him to keep walking. “No reason.” The rest of the way, Aizen was thankfully quiet._

_Seeing the old man, I left Aizen’s side and walked up to him. “My zanpakto is sealed. Ya can ask the cap’n if ya don’ believe me.” Yamamoto looked to Aizen and nodded when he received confirmation. Turning, he ordered the gate to be open. As the Soul Reaper opposite us began doing as told, he turned back to me._

_“Tell me, Amaya. Will you ever stop hating the Soul Reapers?” How could he? I clenched my fist and tried to keep my horror from my features. So soon after Jiro’s death, and he thought I had it in me to_ forgive _them? I walked past the old man to the senkaimon as a hell butterfly flew out._

_“That, I can’t answer yet either.” Following the jigokucho, I left Soul Society._

* * *

 

Waking up, I did a check of everyone. Orihime and Minori were with Kenpachi. The other boys, Ishida and Chad, were together. Well, until Kenpachi joined them, bringing the four of them together. Yoruichi and Ichigo were still together, but Ichigo’s power was again strong enough for me to sense it. It was the basement where I learned bankai… Was that Yoruichi’s goal?

Rolling my shoulders, I realized there was a lot of commotion. It was about time I got out and released the seal on my zanpakto. Facing the wall I positioned my hand right in front of me, “Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado 31: Red Fire Cannon!” Red energy shot from my hand and destroyed the wall.

Stepping throught the hole I just created, I grinned down at the few Soul Reapers standing shocked. A release of high spirit pressure made me check, and I was surprised to find out the cause. Two captains released their shikai, and the third captain was Kenpachi. So, Kenpachi was betraying Seireitei. Snorting, I walked past the weaker Soul Reapers ordering me to stop.

On my way to Daiyu, I had to knock out a few Soul Reapers, but they weren’t any real threat. Making it to the storage room, I sensed another captain level spirit pressure. This one, though, was new. It was… Renji.

Ha. I couldn’t resist snorting. So the red head reached bankai. I forced the door open and wasn’t too surprised to see Daiyu leaning against the wall just as I left her. Stepping in, I was irritated to notice the room was dusty and seemed like no one stepped in the entire three years I was away. I picked up Daiyu, grimacing when I felt the dry parchment the seal made all around the hilt and sheath.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated my spirit energy on Daiyu. It would be difficult to break the seal, but… it felt like I would have enough time, what with the fights going on all around Seireitei. Still, pushing my energy harder, I needed to hurry.

              

 

 


	28. To Change Fate

 

_“I see… I’m sorry, Amaya.” Urahara patted the top of my head, but I just shoved it off, unable to look at him. I explained everything that happened in Soul Society, and Urahara just listened without saying anything. I still ended up biting my tongue whenever I spoke, but it was a little easier to remember once I spent a while doing it._

_“I’m curious though,” Urahara spoke slowly, as if wary of my reaction. “You’re still not too good at demon spells, but you made a powerful seal as if it was no problem.” I pursed my lips. I couldn’t distract Urahara from that little bit of information. I got up, slipping my feet into my shoes so I could pace away. I wasn’t sure how to tell anyone else. It wasn’t like I learned it in words. It was just… knowledge._

_I stopped and looked at Urahara. How could I tell him so he could understand? It was… difficult to put into words. “I… I’m not quite sure how to say it…” Urahara seemed to understand how difficult it was for me. At least I thought he did until he waved me over then pulled me into his arms when I was close enough._

_Growling, I tried to break free, but stopped when Urahara rested his chin on the top of my head. “Just try your best. I’m sure you’ll be able to.” Turning as much as I could, I could only see his shoulder and part of his neck._

_Sighing, I relaxed into his warmth. I began fiddling with my hands, but Urahara stopped that too by covering each of my hands with his own. I marveled at how much larger his hands were. Even though they were beautiful, his hands were so huge. I pressed my palm into his, surprised that his fingers were still long enough to bend over mine._

_Calmed down, I took a deep breath and started, “I’m not Ichigo’s sister.” Well, that wasn’t exactly correct either. And it put things a little more bluntly than I thought they deserved. Shaking my head, I tried again, “When…” I huffed, “When Masaki was pregnant with Ichigo, he, um. Man, how do I put it?_

_“With the powers of our parents, Ichigo promised to be very strong. Um, he was a bit too strong though. Well, you know how your zanpakto or powers or whatever have a conscience? Ichigo’s power, so highly developed, realized that he would be in danger from Hollows before he could even protect himself.” I wrapped my hands around Urahara’s hand, taking comfort in the warmth radiating from his palm and all around me._

_Taking another deep breath, I continued, “So, his powers sealed themselves… By creating me. My existence wasn’t… I wasn’t… I’m just a seal, Urahara.” I pressed our joined hands to my forehead and took several breaths to steady myself. “When I was born, all the power tried to return to Ichigo, and I couldn’t control it, so it always made me sick.”_

_“Then,” I squeezed Urahara’s hand tighter when he spoke, “how did you find all of that out?”_

_I bit my lip, thinking. “I don’t know why, actually. But… when Masaki… died… I got really sick. After that… I just knew. It was like all of that knowledge just… appeared. As if I knew it all along.” Urahara tightened his hold on me, and I didn’t object. I just couldn’t protest the little comfort I was receiving._

_“Urahara, I’m_ just _power. I’m Ichigo’s power. I don’t know how I ended up like this, but… And I really don’t know how I could turn into a Soul Reaper.” I laughed drily. I shouldn’t have been able to. After all, I never had a soul to begin with._

_Humming, Urahara guessed, “When Jiro passed his spirit powers to you, perhaps he passed some of his soul as well.” That was an interesting way to look at. I pressed one of my hands to my chest. Jiro’s soul… Even after he died, Jiro kept giving me more life…_

_I fought off the tears trying to break free again. I wouldn’t cry again. “Maybe…”_

_“Amaya, live a long life… For Jiro.” I closed my eyes. If only._

_“I can’t. There’s more, Urahara.” Urahara’s grip loosened, and I frowned at the loss of warmth. “If Ichigo ever gets more of his power… think about it. I_ am _his power. The only way he’ll ever have all his powers…”_

_“Is if you die.” Even surrounded by Urahara’s warmth, I couldn’t help but feel cold. Urahara squeezed me so tight it hurt. “Amaya, you’re a living person. You’re alive. So please don’t think your life means so little.” I couldn’t breathe, but that was okay… I squeezed Urahara’s hand just as tight as he was squeezing me. Maybe if we pressed closer, I wouldn’t feel the chill of fate tearing me away._

* * *

 

With a pop, I felt the seal break, but the parchment remained. It didn’t really matter. I did a quick check of everything and stopped. Seireitei was a mess! I didn’t realize how long it took me to break my own seal, but in that time most of the captains were out of commission and the sheer amount of spirit pressure was about to make _me_ crumble to my knees.

I grimaced. Captain Commander Yamamoto had unleashed his zanpakto at some point, and I would actually be surprised if any lower ranked Soul Reapers were still standing. Struggling against the Captain Commander’s spirit pressure I felt two captains. So many captains were fighting against Seireitei!

Yoruichi was facing off against another captain, and Ichigo was battling Kuchiki. I bit my lip. Now I had no clue where to go. It took longer than it should have for me to break the seal. Humming, I took greater stock of everything going on Seireitei. Everything seemed… Now that was unusual.

Last I checked, when you died, your spirit energy disappeared. Closing my eyes, I focused on the energy I thought I felt. I was right. Captain Aizen was alive. Either his lieutenant and her friend were crazy, or Aizen wanted everyone to believe he was dead. That was something I wouldn’t be remiss to check out.

Running towards his presence, I almost ran into another captain. It was the short, white-haired one followed by the buxom redhead I saw before. So he was probably her captain. I silently followed them, using the extra boost from Daiyu’s wind to keep quiet. At the large double doors of Central 46 headquarters, we all stopped, me far enough behind the two so neither would notice me.

I was thankful I kept off the captain’s radar once I realized I wasn’t the only one following them. Aizen’s lieutenant was following the short captain, and another Soul Reaper was nearby as well. Chewing my lip I decided to keep back. If I burst in, it would waste time and none of us would figure out what Aizen was up to.

The kid-like captain cut down the doors of the Central 46 chambers after saying something to his lieutenant. I jumped, waiting for the peal of alarms that would follow such an attack, but… There were no alarms. I furrowed my brows. I knew I sensed Aizen inside the chambers, but I had no clue what it meant… Then I realized… I couldn’t sense any other people. Concentrating as hard as I could, I realized I could still sense everyone else, down to the weakest Soul Reaper… but there was no one except Aizen and Ichimaru inside the Central 46 chambers…

That… It wasn’t supposed to be like that. I watched as the captain and his lieutenant ran inside, then waited for their other pursuers to run in. A few minutes later, the blonde man also following them ran out. This time, he was the one being followed. Both Rangiku and the captain chased him, not even noticing that two others and followed them. Snorting, I took the opening and followed Aizen’s presence. It didn’t escape my notice that I was also following after his lieutenant.

She was with Ichimaru, and both were far ahead of me. When I stepped into the central office, I froze. Just… what the hell was going on in Seireitei?! Looking around I saw all of them were dead. Every single Soul Reaper making up the highest judicial body in Soul Society was dead. The stench of old blood clogged my nose and I grimaced. Now I knew… what was going on.

There was no way the captains weren’t getting orders from Central 46, if they were unleashing their zanpakto. Normally, they were too strong, and it was a measure to keep balance and peace in Seireitei. However, with all of Central 46 dead long before, someone else was giving the orders sending Seireitei crashing towards chaos. And… I knew exactly who it was. Running after his lieutenant, I forced the wind under my feet, speeding myself up.

Too slow. I was too slow in my body! Aizen faked his death so he could control everything behind the scenes and eliminate himself as a suspect. No one would search for him, since they all thought he was dead. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself harder.

I skidded right past the door, but backpedaled until I could see inside the room. On the far side I could see Captain Ichimaru. In front of me though, I could only see Aizen’s back. I figured the girl was hidden from view by Aizen, since I could hear her crying. Was the girl stupid?! Couldn’t she put two and two together?

If that girl had two braincells to rub together, she would realize that Aizen’s presence meant he was the traitor! “Goodbye.” Aizen spoke quietly, and it was just to the girl, but I heard it clearly. Her crying stopped, as she doubtlessly realized just what that meant. Both captains most likely knew I was there, but neither cared.

I… was frozen. Before, I spoke with Aizen. He always irritated me whenever he spoke because he was always so _nice_. For someone that sickeningly sweet… “W-what is this?” Blood filled the room. That disgusting aroma wafted to my nose and anger rose from deep inside my chest. Always…

How could he do this?! For what reason would he betray Seireitei? It just didn’t make sense! “Let’s go, Gin.” They were still ignoring me. Aizen turned and finally looked at me. He merely smiled down at me when he saw the glare I settled on him. Still, they did nothing. Both men just walked past me. I unclenched my fist when they left, just then realizing that my nails dug into my skin so deep I bled.

In the end, it always came to this. I wrapped my bleeding palm on Daiyu’s hilt, choking down the heat pushing throughout my body. I was shaking and every muscle in my body jumped out, screaming to attack. Every bone demanded death. I had no reason to fight for Seireitei, but… I don’t know why!

I didn’t understand why! I just felt so _betrayed_. I _cried_ to him. When Jiro died, I _cried_. And he was such a filthy _bastard_ that he killed her! He would regret thinking so little of me. I was no longer as weak as I was three years ago.

“Howdy,” I turned to see who Aizen was talking to, it was the short captain from before, “Hitsugaya.”

“Aizen?!” He stood straight, appearing more put together than he was just a moment before, “What the… Are you really Aizen?” Where all Soul Reapers as slow as these two? Yes, he was Aizen. Yes, he was alive. It shouldn’t take a genius to figure all that out.

“Of course. As you can see, I’m the real thing.” I scowled.

“Are you sure you’re real and not a doll without a heart, you _bastard_?” Aizen peered over his shoulder to look at me, glaring. My teeth snapped together so hard they clicked. That killing aura… “Although,” he was speaking to Captain Hitsugaya again, “your return was much earlier than expected, Captain Hitsugaya.” He looked back to Ichimaru, and the fox-faced captain apologized.

“Seems like Izuru’s diversion wasn’t good ‘nough.” They were acting so… God! Flippant! It was as if they were talking about the weather and not betraying all of Soul Society.

“What…” Hitsugaya got defensive again, “What the hell are the two of you talking about?!”

“What are we talking about?” Aizen turned back to the short captain standing at the bottom of the stairs, beneath us. “Just some strategy. Division of the enemy’s forces is the first step of battle strategy, isn’t it?”

“Enemy?” I groaned.

“Yes ya idiot! ‘E’s betrayed Seireitei. Ya’ll were too busy dealin’ wit’ the ryoka, ya couldn’t even tell what was goin’ on beneath yer noses. I knew I didn’t like ya, Aizen.” Aizen chuckled, still not caring about me.

“Where is Hinamori?” Gritting my teeth, I stepped to the side, clearing the doorway.

“Well, where could she be…” Hitsugaya stared straight at the open doorway, his eyes widening. Using shunpo, he flash-stepped behind Aizen and Gin and past me. He stopped right before Hinamori’s body.

“Hina…” His attention was on the girl. “…mori…”

Grinning, Aizen looked back at Hitsugaya. “Too bad. You’ve found her.” He made it sound like it was a game of hide-and seek! “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I suppose I should have at least ground her to dust so you wouldn’t find her.” I snarled and gripped my hilt tighter.

“Aizen… Ichimaru…” Hitsugaya was clenching his fists, and his voice was deathly calm. “Since when were you accomplices? Since before you faked your death?”

“From the beginning of course. Since I became captain, I never once considered anyone but him my lieutenant.” How long was that? How many centuries ago? I gaped at Aizen. For all I knew, he was a captain for hundreds of years. That meant… he was planning… for so long. All of this was just his plan.

“So then,” Hitsugaya’s voice was still calm, “up until now, Hinamori, me, your subordinates, every other Soul Reaper, everyone… you’ve been deceiving us all?!” I jerked back a few feet. Oh god, no. Ichigo. Why did Aizen want Rukia dead? If Rukia was still alive, Aizen would go after her, and Ichigo would protect her. Cursing, I ran past the captains, searching for Rukia. I needed to figure out what he was looking for.

They let me go, not even caring about whether I was there or not. I passed by the 4th squad captain and her lieutenant. They both made to stop me, but I jumped high over their heads and shouted, “Go further! Help Captain Hitsugaya!” I saw the female captain nod and continue running. Behind me, I felt Hitsugaya’s spirit pressure increase, and knew he released his bankai. A chill chased my steps out of Central 46.


	29. Empress of Spirit, Daiyu!

I was running towards Renji and Rukia when a captain approached them, and they disappeared. Checking again, I felt them all at Soukyoku Hill, where Rukia was originally going to be executed. Snarling, I realized Aizen and Ichimaru were there as well. How did they get there so fast?

I didn’t have time for my slow human body… Sliding to a halt, I took a deep breath. “Daiyu, it’s already time fer us ta move.” A moment later Daiyu appeared before me, floating in the air with a smile on her face.

 _“Shall I help you with that?”_ Daiyu pointed a long, elegant finger at my body, and, before I could answer, my soul and converted body were separated. I gasped at the feeling of being separated from my body again. It was even harsher in Soul Society, since my body was converted to spirit particles when we went through the senkaimon. I pushed my hand against my chest, sure I would feel the Chain of Fate connecting my soul to my body, but found nothing.

“Thanks. We need ta get ta Soukyoku Hill, _now_.”

Smiling, Daiyu rested her hands on my shoulders and bumped her forehead into mine. _“You already know what to do. Call my name, Amaya.”_

Right before I drew Daiyu, I sensed a binding spell used to contact other Soul Reapers at a distance. Waiting, I wasn’t too surprised to hear the 4th squad lieutenant’s voice, “To the Thirteen Court Guardian Squads, all squad captains, lieutenants, and acting lieutenants, and ryoka lady and gentlemen, this is 4th squad lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane. This is urgent. This is an urgent message from 4th squad captain Unohana Retsu and myself, Kotetsu Isane. What I am about to tell you… is all true!” Lieutenant Isane proceeded to tell everyone of Aizen’s betrayal and the current situation.

Howling to the sky to relieve my frustration, I shook my head and calmed down. “Alright! Let’s go! _Jīngshén, dài yù huánghòu_! Bankai!” A whirlwind whipped around me and I felt more comfortable with my bankai unleashed. My shihakusho had changed into a short, pearlescent purple qipao and white leggings. Daiyu, instead of two scimitars, was a long 9-ringed Chinese broadsword. Holding her up to the sky, I smirked as the sun shone through the pale blue-green blade and the purple veins shifted in the light. She truly was a beautiful zanpakto.

 _“_ _No time to waste, Amaya.”_ I sighed and dropped my arm to my side, she was right. I could admire Daiyu later. Wrapping the ribbon flying from the hilt around my arm, on top of the plain white bandages that went from my wrists to shoulders, I stroked the glass charm hidden by the ribbon.

“To Soukyoku Hill!” I think slashed a vertical line from the ground up to the top of my head, my heart thumping when the air split, and I could see Soukyoku Hill as if I was floating in the air above. Taking one last look at my empty body, I stepped through, using the wind to keep me floating in the air.

Beneath me, Aizen stepped closer towards Renji and Rukia, Rukia held securely in Renji’s arms. “You don’t have to let go.” Aizen drew his zanpakto, and added, “Leave her and your arm… and step away.” Renji jumped back just in time to avoid losing his arm. However, his arm was injured. “My, oh my. You’ve learned to dodge _quite_ well, haven’t you, Abarai? You’ve grown. That makes me happy. But if possible, I wish you wouldn’t persist much more. Stepping on an ant so as not to crush it… requires an immense amount of control. And as your former commanding officer, I cannot bear to let you die.”

I sneered. How haughty of him. He was even worse than Kuchiki. At least Kuchiki didn’t go on long spiels about how much better he was.  “Renji!” Rukia had become pathetic in her imprisonment…

“Keep quiet, Rukia.” Rukia did as told, and Renji proceeded to argue with Aizen. “’I can’t bear to let you die,’ my ass! Then why… did you kill Hinamori?”

 _“_ _You won’t attack, Amaya?”_ Daiyu appeared at my side. It was taking all I had not to let my Bankai reveal itself in its full form, so I dropped in the air for a moment before regaining myself.

_“Not yet, Daiyu. I can’t fight them all on my own. Renji is too weak to face any of them, so he’d be pretty useless.”_

Daiyu looked down at the scene below us, humming. _“I see. Remember, though, not to move too late. Or else you will regret it.”_ I snorted and Daiyu bowed her head, disappearing from my sight once more. She had a point. Just how long would I let things move as they should before I stepped in. Even now, I was too scared to try to change things. I was obsessed with fate winning, no matter how hard I fought.

“But it just didn’t go very well.” I raised my brow. Was Aizen still talking? “So I was forced to kill her myself.”

“Is that so?” Renji was getting angry. “So Kira and Hinamori were just pawns rolling around in the palm of your hand?”

“You, too, Abarai.” So calm. Aizen was so calm even as he revealed that he was never as he seemed.

Voice shaking with anger, Renji said, “Fine, I damn well understand. You’re not the Captain Aizen I knew anymore!” I don’t think he ever was. “I don’t know what reason you got, but even if I die, I won’t let you have Rukia!” Rukia seemed shocked that so many would go so far for her. I scowled. No, I wouldn’t. I didn’t even try that hard for Jiro. But Rukia… Whatever Aizen needed from her, I was absolutely certain I didn’t want him to get it.

“I’m not the Aizen Sousuke you knew anymore, huh? Sorry, but that’s an illusion, Abarai. The Aizen Sousuke you knew… never existed in the first place.” Jumping high into the air, Renji went to attack Aizen, Rukia still in his arms. I flew back a few feet to avoid being hit by the idiot redhead.

“Howl, Zabimaru!” Not even trying, Aizen brought his zanpakto up and blocked Renji’s blade.

“You may have nothing else in your condition, it won’t even buy you time.”

Scowling, Renji tried again, “You never know!” Aizen smirked and grabbed the tip of Renji’s sword with his bare hand, stopping it.

“I knew out of those three, you’d be the most trouble, Abarai.” As I thought, Renji was no match. I bit my lip, I didn’t think I was either. Aizen was proving to be much stronger than I thought he was. He even managed to hide so much power from me! With a single swing, Aizen destroyed Zabimaru and almost injured Renji had I not shot to the ground and blocked the blow.

Still, the sheer force of the blow forced Renji to his knees, and I checked myself for injuries. I wasn’t sure I actually managed to block that without any trouble. Aizen stood right in front of me, glaring at me. I supposed he didn’t like more “ants” getting in his way. Smirking, I brought Daiyu up pointed her tip at Aizen. “How’s ‘bout ya try me on fer size, Cap’n. Nah, wait. Yer no Cap’n anymore, are ya?”

“I was wondering when you would step in, Kurosaki.” I shrugged, playing off my concerns. I wouldn’t show any weakness to this traitorous bastard.  “When did you learn Bankai?”

Smirking, I waved Daiyu in a small circle, “What can I say? Three years ago, now.” Aizen closed his eyes, and, when he opened them, turned them on Renji and Rukia.

“I will say it once more. Put Kuchiki Rukia down and step away.” I scowled and stepped right in his line of sight again. I was not someone to turn your attention away from.

Behind me, Rukia began, “P-please wait, Captain Aizen! I will-“

“No!” Rukia stopped when I turned a heated glare on her. She was so foolish! Did she not realize that, whatever he wanted, Aizen shouldn’t get it. Even if all of us were to die.

Renji cut in, using the opening I gave him, “I refuse! I ain’t letting go of you. No way… No way I’m letting go, you dumb fuck!” I snorted and turned back to Aizen.

“Ya ‘eard ‘im. We ain’t lettin’ ya get ‘er.” Aizen raised his sword.

“I see. How unfortunate.” Unfortunate my ass. As he prepared to bring his sword down, I moved to block it, surprised when Ichigo intercepted the blow. His zanpakto was thin and black, unlike any I  had ever seen. Was that… his Bankai?

Confidently, Ichigo greeted us, “Yo. What you crouchin’ down for?” I scowled. What was I? Chopped liver? “Looks like Rukia’s pretty heavy. I’ve come to lend ya a hand, Renji!” Ichigo and Aizen’s swords broke contact and Renji and Ichigo jumped back. Jumping into the air, I scowled. I was beginning to think Daiyu made me invisible as well. Ichigo and Renji started fighting to the side, obviously not realizing how tense the situation was.

I sighed and dropped my head into my hand. “Just what did I do to get such an idiot for a brother? Rukia burst from Renji's arms and punched him in the chin. Watching, unable to keep from gaping, I felt my heart sink. Great. My backup was a worthless idiot, a useless girl to protect, and an injured fighter that was wasting his energy for several days. I dug my fingers into my temples. What did I ever do? Was this karma? For thinking there was a chance that everyone could live? Was that it?

Aizen and Gin began speaking, but they were quiet enough so only they could hear. Shaking my head, I landed on the ground next to Ichigo and Renji in time to hear Ichigo ask, “So that’s Aizen?” Renji confirmed it, “You have energy left to run away?”

Renji, the idiot, answered, “I do, but I’m gonna fight. I know you realize it, too… that it’s useless to run. So I won’t go as far as to say we’ll beat ‘em, but once we somehow immobilize them, let’s take our time goin’ down.”

“Heh. No choice. Okay then, let’s show a united front!” Snarling, I punched both hotheads. “Ow! What the hell, Amaya?”

“Are you two stupid or what? I’m here too, you idiots. I can hold them off until you get Rukia away from here.” Ichigo grabbed me by the front of my qipao, obviously angry.

“Are you kidding me? Like I’d leave my sister here and run away!”

This was just stupid. Everyone… Always! They always thought I was completely useless! “Don’t mock me! I have been a Soul Reaper for _years_! If you stay, you’ll only get in my way!”

Ichigo got back up in my face, “Then stay back and protect Rukia! I’ll protect you both!” All of my anger died and I could only stare blankly at Ichigo. So that was it. The whole point of my _existence_ was to protect Ichigo, and he was about to die protecting me instead. I narrowed my eyes. There was no way I was going to let that happen.

While we were arguing, Renji did something to his zanpakto, making all of the scattered pieces float in the air then attack Aizen. Switching gears, Ichigo prepared himself and rushed Aizen, trying to take the chance Renji presented. I scowled. “Damnit Ichigo!” Aizen stopped Ichigo’s _Bankai_ with one finger.

I couldn’t run to Ichigo fast enough to stop the counterattack Aizen landed. Ichigo’s blood fountained around him, from a cut none of us had even seen Aizen deliver. “Hm? I meant to sever you from the waist down, but… too shallow, I guess.” Aizen let go of Ichigo’s zanpakto, and Ichigo fell to his knees.

“I tried to warn you, idiot.” I couldn’t focus on Ichigo, though. Aizen disappeared and reappeared behind Renji, further injuring the redhead. I was the last thing between him and Rukia…

Looking over my shoulder at Rukia, I scowled when I saw she wasn’t moving. “Run you idiot! Hurry up and get out of here!” Aizen flash-stepped right in front of me and I barely had time to block his attack with Daiyu’s flat edge. I smirked when his zanpakto caught on the rings, clanging at the force.

“I’m not as weak as Ichigo,” I reassured him and pushed back. Now was the time to let loose. Releasing the building pressure I had forced down tight for days, everything around us was whipped into a typhoon, only those of us at the center didn’t go flying. Even still, the wind tore at all of us left standing, and the light was blocked, making it dark.

I flash-stepped behind Aizen, faster than anyone when I used shunpo and my Bankai. Still, he blocked it. I was just glad he wasn’t able to block my attack with his bare hands. Gritting my teeth, I spun on my heel and sent out a mini-whirlwind from my blade. It tore the ground all around, but Aizen swung his zanpakto, and it dissipated.

“You’re right. You have grown, Amaya.” I cackled when Aizen appeared behind me, and stabbed my sword underneath my arm. He dodged the shining blue blade and frowned at me.

“Ya cain’t sneak up on me, Aizen!” I tapped my head. “I can sense yer spirit energy better ‘an ya can sense it yerself.” Shaking his head minutely, Aizen stared me in the eyes.

We pushed off towards each other, swords clashing between us. Using the pressure from the blow, I pushed off the flat of his blade, doing a backflip above Aizen’s head. Landing on my feet right behind him, I spun to slash him, but he spun just in time to block me. Our swords slid off each other and I pushed back and let the wind pull me in a half circle around Aizen.

Sword in one hand, I went forward in a cartwheel, intending to land one of my devastating kicks on Aizen. However, he arched his sword in front of me, forcing me to twist so he couldn’t cut my ankles. Instead, I kept low to the ground, and brought both of my feet together to knock him off his feet.

Aizen jumped back, but was pulled back further than he calculated because of the wind swirling harshly around us. Spinning my sword above my head, I stared across me straight into Aizen’s eyes. “Pulls don’t it? If ya fall back, ya’ll be ripped to shreds ‘fore ya even know what ‘appened.” Based on the frown Aizen was sending my way, I could tell he was starting to consider me a bit more of a nuisance than Renji or Ichigo.

Good. “Step out of the way, Kurosaki.”

I snorted. “Why? Don’ wanna kill me either?” Aizen stepped closer to me, looking unassuming, but his guard was up. I circled him until I was blocking him from Rukia again.

“You have no reason to protect her.” I glared at him. No reason? Ha.

“I ain’t got a reason ta help ya out, either!” I ran at Aizen, expecting him to block, but he appeared behind me. I barely blocked his stroke with Daiyu. I could feel the spirit energy flash over my shoulder, threatening to cut through skin. Damn.

“Alright Daiyu, let’s up the ante!” The whirlwind dissipated, and the skies were clear again. Aizen eyed me suspiciously. He didn’t know what Daiyu’s true abilities were. Once I figured out how I got the wind to obey me, it was simple enough to create more moves with Daiyu. Granted, I never had her for three years, so I never got to actually use the moves, but I had enough confidence in the training I could do.

Her actual ability was to agitate the spirit particles all around me, turning them into razor sharp blades. Normally, I could only do so by slashing Daiyu in which direction I wanted, but the whirlwind forced the surrounding spirit particles to concentrate themselves in the area. None of the captains even realized they were breathing heavier than normal… I eyed Aizen, rocking from foot to foot.

The average Soul Reaper would have dropped to the ground from the sheer pressure, without even knowing why. Unlike spiritual pressure that Soul Reapers emitted, concentrated spirit particles didn’t register to Soul Reapers no matter how densely packed they were. Sure, they could affect the Soul Reapers, like wind to a human, but the Soul Reaper wouldn’t even realize… The same went for Hollows, but that didn’t really matter at the moment.

Aizen moved his mouth to say something, but frowned a second later. The spirit particles were so densely packed, they wouldn’t carry his voice. All it would take was one move to set them all off, and they would all push into Aizen with enough force to pierce. Letting Daiyu do what was natural, I loosened my muscles just enough to let the energy around me lift me up.

I floated a few feet about the ground, focused solely on Aizen. The captain glared harshly at me, his expression screaming death. I ripped the charm from Daiyu’s hilt and crushed it in my palm. As soon as I unfurled my fingers, the world came rushing back. In that split second of sound before all of the energy exploded I heard a shout, “Amaya, look out!”


	30. A Moment

 

How? How did he know? I coughed and struggled to keep my eyes on Aizen. I _had_ him. Exactly where I wanted him. How did he…? In the split moment before the blast, Aizen… I didn’t even know! Did he drop his sword or throw it? Somehow…

After the blast, even though I definitely didn’t miss Aizen, he was barely injured. Scratches marred his skin and shihakusho here and there, but nothing vital. I, on the other hand, had a sword lodged in my gut. Aizen walked up to me and pulled his zanpakto out at an angle, forcing the wound wider. What the hell happened?

“That was dangerous.” Aizen glared down at me, but he didn’t hide his haughty pleasure. “You would have grown into quite the adversary.” I chuckled through a cough. Blood splattered on my lips. Damn. All of my power was Ichigo’s in the first place… If I hadn’t held Ichigo back… I shook my head. No.

At the level Ichigo was at, at the amount of experience, Ichigo still wouldn’t be able to beat Aizen. I glared up at the traitor. Not much I could do at that point. I brought Daiyu up between us and charged the particles all around into a slash. Aizen dodged it easily grabbed my zanpakto. Again…

_Hearing a loud crack, I noticed a thin crack appear in both scimitars, right where his zanpakto pushed down. Gasping, I ducked out to the side, protecting my zanpakto from the force of the captain’s strength._

Scowling, I slid my zanpakto down along Aizen’s to his hilt and locked our swords together with a twist of my wrist. With my free hand I grasped his sword hand, but the sheer power radiating between us was making me nauseous. If he loosed any more of his spirit power, I would probably have to give up and run away with Rukia, since Ichigo’s increase in power meant my hypersensitivity was even worse.

I scowled at Aizen, and he kept his face devoid of any thoughts he might have. Well, I wasn’t all that great at swordfighting anyway, I did much better with hand-to-hand. Smirking, I jumped up, ignoring the pain it caused, and kicked Aizen in the head by twisting our wrists against each other. There was no way he could dodge that. Aizen flew back a few feet, and I harshly landed on the ground, my knees buckling for a moment.

I looked up at Aizen and gaped. He blocked with his hand. Like it was nothing. If anyone else took a direct blow like that, their bones would have shattered! I snarled. There was no way this was actually happening. “This will be the last time I ask. Step aside.”

I snorted. “That doesn’t sound like ‘asking.’” I furrowed my brows when I realized I hadn’t skewed my words. Crap. You would think three years of speaking that way, it would stick. I shook my head. My concentration was slipping and my thoughts were wandering. Aizen appeared right in front of me and I ducked low, wincing when the hole in my stomach sent shockwaves of pain throughout my body.

Sliding back on my feet, I put distance between us again. “Sorry if I don’t feel much like getting up close and personal again. You’re not _nearly_ as pleasant up close.” Aizen… snorted, I think. It was like a snort. But the word didn’t really suit him… I shook my head again. Focus.

He closed his eyes and opened them back up, pinning me to the spot with sheer spirit power. I pushed back with my own spirit power, but I was beginning to see the whole situation as hopeless. The rest of the Soul Reapers were so slow to approach, and Aizen, Gin, and the blind guy were only breathless because of a cheap trick I pulled. “Well,” I couldn’t resist saying it out loud, “at least I’m not the only one panting.”

Aizen glared down at me, apparently not one to appreciate double-intendre. Since I was unable to move, I realized there was no way I could win. If only Ichigo had _listened_. I closed my eyes, resigned. Even after everything I did, I still couldn’t beat a captain.

 _“Don’t ferget ‘bout me, Amaya.”_ _I stepped into my mental world. It was dark and heavy winds threatened to push me over the cliff. Just across from me was Ayama. I shook my head at her. “But why? ‘E’s gonna beat ya if ya don’t-“_

_“It’s because she needs to survive a bit longer.” The silhouette woman was in even worse shape than me. I breathed out a short laugh and looked at the three other women that occupied my mind._

_“Need is a relative term. It doesn’t matter if I die now or later. Ichigo still can’t control all of his power.” Ayama huffed, upset that I still wouldn’t borrow her strength. I couldn’t though. I couldn’t let anyone know about her. Again, not that it mattered much at this point._

“You should pay attention.” I looked at Aizen.

“What for? I’m surprised you didn’t just take the chance and kill me. What? I’m not pathetic enough for you?” Aizen tilted his head just a bit, and I felt like a bug he was peering down his nose at. Damn. “Nevermind. I guess everyone’s beneath you, Oh Great Asshole.” Aizen slashed me from one hip to the opposite shoulder just as I finished, anger burning just behind his eyes. As I fell to the ground, I couldn’t resist the last smirk I sent his way. At the very least, I got a rise out of him.

“Still alive? Persistence must run in the family.” Aizen’s voice faded away, and a bright darkness engulfed my vision. I lost a lot of blood. My head felt lighter than ever, and I felt like I was floating. Cold tinged against my fingertips. No… I was still alive… I knew that much… But… A high-pitched ring pealed in my ears and the last I could hear was Aizen’s voice as if he was very distant. Crap… I needed… to get Rukia away…

* * *

 

“Kurosaki! Amaya!” There was shouting… I looked over. Ichigo’s friends were running over… Idiots! If none of us could stop Aizen, there was no way… they could… I struggled to get on my side and push myself up.

“You should just give up.” Aizen’s feet were right in front of me. Why? I looked up, grinning as best I could.

“You guys!” Ichigo shouted at his friends. I looked over at my brother. He was still alive… Good. “Stay away!” Rukia was there too. Right by Aizen. I looked up at her. Damn.

_“Daiyu, Ayama, we only really have one chance to do this. I can’t move on my own…”_

_“We’ll help ya, Amaya!”_ Ayama and Daiyu got ready. For a brief moment after Ayama took over my body, she could move, then carry Rukia away using Daiyu’s unique teleportation abilities. I was about to move when Ichimaru’s spirit pressure purposely increased enough to stall Orihime and the others. In my weakened state, it was enough to make me cry out.

As if that wasn’t enough, I felt a foot dig into my back, right on top of the exit wound from Aizen’s zanpakto. I snarled, cursing Aizen as vocally as I could. Smiling throughout all the misery he was causing, Aizen turned his attention to Rukia. “Kuchiki, Rukia. When you were spotted in the Living World, the very first action I took was…the massacre of the Office of 46.”

“Do… you _ever_ … shut _up_?” I gasped as Aizen ground his foot into my back. No, apparently not. “You are _so_ stereo-gah! Sor-ry for… ruining… your… spiel. I’m just… a little _tired of hearing it._ ”

“So fiery even though you’ve lost. Pay attention, Kurosaki, Amaya.” Snorting, I dropped my head to the ground, trying to ignore the pain. It would be so much easier without the constant stimulation Aizen was so _kindly_ providing. “You all were probably told by Isane…” Aizen took his foot off my back and began walking away with Rukia, pulling her by the collar. “’Aizen Sousuke faked his death and concealed his whereabouts. He then murdered the Office of 46.’ But that is not true. When you were spotted, I immediately killed the 46 and cast Kyoka Suigetsu on the entire Central Underground Assembly Hall.” What the hell was Kyoka Suigetsu?

He was still busy with his monologue, “I made it look as though the Office of 46 was alive and continuing their meetings. Then one of us three always stayed in the Underground Assembly Hall. And from then until now, we continued to act as the Office of 46 and manipulated all orders. To make your arrest certain, I switched the apprehension team to those two from 6th squad. And to separate you from humans, I ordered the immediate return and destruction of your gigai. To completely evaporate your soul and retrieve the Hougyoku from inside you, I decided to use the Soukyoku to execute you.

“The only times we left the Underground Assembly Hall completely empty… were the few hours surrounding each of the two squad leader meetings. I faked my death and went into hiding in the Underground Assembly Hall immediately afterward. It was because I judged that a possibility had arisen that the execution would fail due to you efforts. There are only two ways to remove a foreign object directly embedded inside a soul…” I groaned. Why was I even conscious for this? It was annoying that he was just going on and on. “Either by evaporating the soul acting as the outside shell with an ultra high destructive force like the Soukyoku… or by somehow going directly into the soul structure and forcibly detaching it.

“If, by some chance, the Soukyoku execution were to fail, I would have to find the other way. What I needed to do that was information kept in the Underground Assembly Hall’s Great Corrider of Spirit Documents. One piece at a time, I investigated, in minute detail, every piece of Urahara Kisuke’s past research.” My mind shorted out. Urahara Kisuke? Did that mean all of this was because Urahara hid something in Rukia?

_“I ‘ave a few questions fer ya.”_

_Simply taking out his fan, Urahara didn’t seem very surprised. Bastard. Sometimes he really pissed me off. “Oh? What would you like to know, Amaya?”_

_I scowled at him, stopping when he only smiled wider. “It’s ‘bout the soul reaper gal. She’s still so weak. Now, ya wouldn’t ‘appen ta know anythin’ ‘bout that wouldya Hat-‘n’-Clogs?” Urahara gave me the most innocent look in his arsenal. Which, of course, meant he had everything to do with it, and, no, he wasn’t going to tell me. I sighed and gave up. Having known Urahara for years, now, I knew there was nothing I could do to get the information out of him._

No wonder Urahara was so much more supportive of Ichigo warring against Seireitei. “Embedding of a foreign object in a soul was a technology he developed after all.” I dropped my head to the ground, letting my forehead rest. Aizen was one of _those_ bad guys. I never knew evil guys were actually prone to outlining their plans in detail. “I surmised, therefore, that the technology to remove it must also be hiding in his past research. Yes…” green spikes shot out of the ground around Aizen and Rukia in a circle, “this is… that… answer!”

Aizen’s arm turned green and he shoved it through Rukia’s chest, surprising, well, me. He pulled something small that looked like a diamond from the hole he made, and she dropped. “I’m surprised. It’s something _this_ small? This is the Hougyoku. So the soul itself is unharmed… Magnificent technology. But unfortunately,” Aizen picked Rukia up by the choker around her neck again, “I no longer have use for you.” He turned, presenting Rukia to us, “Kill her, Gin.”

Crap. “Ayama!” Just as Gin turned away from Ichigo’s friends, I felt the Hollow power wash over me. The mask formed in front of my face and, as if it wasn’t my body, I stood and began running towards Aizen and Rukia. I could tell Aizen was surprised by the Hollow mask covering my face, but I wasn’t the one in control. Distantly, I could hear Gin release his shikai.

Ayama knocked Rukia from Aizen’s grasp, ruining Gin’s aim at the same time. Still, she should have been injured. To my surprise though, the one Gin stabbed wasn’t Rukia, but Byakuya Kuchiki, her brother. Ayama took the moment for what it was worth and turned on Aizen, holding our zanpakto to his neck. “Lookie, lookie. Ya ain’t gonna succeed ‘ere, ol’ man.” Rukia called out to her brother, just as surprised as the rest of us.

Just before it hit, I felt a demon spell being summoned, and Ayama dodged away from Aizen. A blast of lightning preluded Jidanbo and a woman crashing into the ground. In the commotion, Ayama and I pulled the mask off. We could sense Yoruichi and one of the female captains right as they threatened Aizen. Both had their zanpakto drawn and read to lop off Aizen’s head should he move. Sighing in relief, I felt all of the extra power Ayama brought drain from my body. I fell to my knees.


	31. Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters left. I'm pretty tired so I'll just post the last two tomorrow.

Looking around, I saw Gin captured by Rangiku. Despite his capture, he flippantly called out to Aizen, “Sorry Cap’n. I went ‘n’ got caught.” Aizen just looked past the two women to Gin, without saying anything.

“This is it for you.” Yoruichi… That was what the strange woman over Jidanbo’s shoulder called her… Wait. What? I checked again and realized that the purple-haired woman had the same presence as the black cat I learned from. Yoruichi was a woman? Looking closer, I had to gape. She was an attractive woman with a feminine voice. Why was her voice so deep when she was a cat? Was that on purpose?

“What was that?” Aizen looked down on Yoruichi.

“Don’t you understand, Aizen… that you three have nowhere to run?” All of the strongest Soul Reapers in Seireitei were there. I scowled around at them. Bastards. They took their sweet time arriving. “It’s over, Aizen.” Aizen just smirked, and I jerked back. There was nothing to see… Still I looked up to the sky… “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s time.”

Yoruichi seemed to realize as well that something was all since she shouted out, “Get away, Sui Feng!” Both women jumped back from Aizen right before a pillar of light erupted around him. It shone straight up to the sky, drawing all eyes. On the other side of that… A hole ripped in the sky and we could see countless Menos Grandes.

They shot out from the hole and I could hear someone shout, “Gillians? How many are there?”

The man holding the blind captain called out as well, “Wait, there’s still something behind them!” The hole widened and two more pillars of light encircled Gin and the third traitor.

“I’m a li’l disappointed. You coulda kept holdin’ on a li’l longer. So long, Rangiku. Sorry.” Each man began floating up, towards the sky.

I heard someone shout something about them getting away, but Yamamoto stopped him from doing anything foolish. “That light is called Negacion. Menos use it when helping their own. It was over once they were wrapped in that light. Inside the light is a completely isolated, unaffectable world. Anyone who has ever fought with a Menos knows… the moment that light came down, we could no longer even touch Aizen.”

“You…” The man who shouted and Yamamoto looked at me. “You can’t touch it.” I forced myself to stand and picked Daiyu up. My Bankai was still unleashed. “I,” I glared up at Aizen, “can destroy the Negacion.” I could feel my blood dripping down my legs to my feet. It was amazing I was even conscious.

“Stop! You’ll die if you keep going!” It was one of the lieutenants. I snarled at him.

“It’s easy for me! Are you all just afraid you couldn’t stop Aizen even if I broke him out of the Negacion? You are! You were fooled, and now you’ve paid the price!” I brought the spirit particles under my feet, floating in the air once more.

“Stop Amaya!” I paused and looked back at Minori. She looked worse for wear, strange for someone of her power. Her eyes pleaded with me to stop, just as she said.

A loud crash as a large captain slammed his fist into the ground surprised me. I looked over and was shocked again to see he had a wolf head. “Tousen!” He howled up to the blind man drifting further away. “Come down here, Tousen! Unfathomable! Why did you become a Soul Reaper? Wasn’t it for your deceased friend? Wasn’t it to follow justice? Where has your justice disappeared to?” Justice? How foolish.

It seemed the two were friends, since the black man answered, “I told you Komamura. The only thing these eyes see… is the path of least bloodshed. Justice is always there. The path I walk _is_ … Justice.” I scoffed. Was it a requirement for Soul Reapers to be arrogant?

“You’ve even joined hands with Menos? For what reason?” Another captain I never met, hair as white as Hitsugaya’s, questioned Aizen.

“To seek new heights.” I looked up to Aizen, surprised he answered. Then I corrected myself. He arrogantly explained his whole plan and how perfect it was just moments before.

The white-haired captain was, reasonably, displeased with Aizen’s answer. “Have you fallen to the ground, Aizen?”

“Your arrogance is excessive, Ukitake.” I raised my brow as Aizen said that. That was the pot calling the kettle black. “No one was standing in Heaven to begin with. Not you, not me, not even God. However,” Aizen pulled off his glasses and slicked back his hair, “that unbearable vacancy in the throne of Heaven will end. From now on, I will stand in Heaven. Farewell, Soul Reapers.”

“Aizen!” As Aizen and his cohorts stepped into the palms of the Menos, he looked down at me. “You will _not_ succeed!” I gripped Daiyu’s hilt and prepared to send as much energy as I could through her blade.

Aizen merely chuckled and said one last fare well, “And farewell to you, and the ryoka boy. For humans, you were truly interesting.” Howling with rage, I sent all of my power his way, pleased when I heard the answering howls of Hollows in pain. Seconds later, the portal snapped shut and I fell to the ground, no power left. Daiyu shifted from Bankai to her unreleased state and I only had enough energy to look over at Ichigo before passing out. There was no choice left, Ichigo needed all of his power to face Aizen…

* * *

 

It was bright… but not like the hospital rooms I was used to. I struggled to sit up, not too surprised that I still had difficulty. I slid the white robe I was wearing open just enough to see my injuries, but only found a long scar going from shoulder to hip and a shorter one right next to it, above my belly button.

“Oh my, you shouldn’t be sitting up yet.” I looked up to see the captain of the 4th squad. She looked soft and polite, just like the other members of her squad. I rolled my shoulder, trying to shrug but found everything was stiff. Nothing hurt, it just took a lot of effort to move, and everything was stiff.

I hated it when my body got stiff, since it rarely happened after I became a Soul Reaper. It reminded me of the times I got so sick I couldn’t do anything. “Ya don’ need ta worry ‘bout me.”

The captain walked over and pressed a hand to my shoulder, “Take time to heal. I was ordered to bring you before Captain Commander Yamamoto once you got better.” I looked down at her hand. As soon as I got better, huh? I lightly shook my head.

“Might as well get it over wit’, eh? Can ya ‘elp me up?” Sighing quietly, the healer helped me get to my feet, and kept me stable a I tried to find my balance. “Thanks.” She slowly backed up and I swayed for a moment before steadying. “All the cap’ns gotta be there, or is it gonna be jus’ us?”

“He only asked for you.” I nodded and looked down at my clothes, grimacing. It was a plain white yukata, thin and good enough for a hospital, but not so for a meeting with a superior.

“Ya got anythin’ better?” I was about to ask if anyone found my body, but I saw it to the side. It was strange, getting back in it, since I was technically a spirit stepping into a spirit. The captain pointed at a dresser between the beds and I opened it up, finding copious shihakusho. I found one my size and changed into it once the woman turned away respectfully. “Thanks. I’ll be off now, Cap’n.” Smiling, the captain just waved me off without trying to stop me.

It was easy for me to find Yamamoto, and I walked into his division headquarters. “You’re up sooner than expected, Kurosaki.” I eyed the lieutenant dutifully standing at Yamamoto’s side then shrugged him off.

“I heal quick. Especially wit’ such talented healers helpin’. I heard ya wanted ta see me, when I woke up?”

Yamamoto’s eyes sharpened, “Yes. It is regarding our previous discussion. About whether you will-“

“Stay.” I interrupted Yamamoto. “I’ll be stayin’ in Seireitei. I think I gave ya ‘nough proof o’ my loyalty?” I clicked my tongue and thought for a moment. “I jus’ need ta tell the others I ain’t goin’ back wit’ ‘em.”

Yamamoto steepled his fingers and frowned at me, “You now have the option of being a substitute Soul Reaper in the Living World.”

I scoffed. “Nah. I cain’t be of much ‘elp there. I’ll be stayin’. I think ya’ll need all the help ya can get, too.” Yamamoto nodded and dismissed me. I didn’t argue. I wanted to spend as little time with the old man as possible. Of course, we both knew he would be talking to me again soon regarding whatever transpired during Aizen’s betrayal. Well, he knew. I knew that conversation wouldn’t come to pass.

Walking around, it seemed as if nothing had changed. Everyone seemed busy, but it looked like the normal busy and not the post-chaos busy. In the distance I sensed Ichigo near Kuchiki and Renji, so I changed direction and began walking over to the trio. Although I wasn’t quite ready to see Ichigo, I wanted to speak with Kuchiki.

I entered the building using the normal method, doors, and waited for Ichigo to leave Kuchiki’s room—he used the window… Knocking, I kept up the polite demeanor and stepped in only after Kuchiki invited me. Both men were surprised to see me. I waved to Renji and nodded at Kuchiki.

“Kurosaki.” I pursed my lips.

Turning to Renji I asked, “Can I ‘ave a moment wit’ yer cap’n? Alone.” Stammering, Renji left to give us privacy. “Hey, Captain Kuchiki.” Kuchiki steadied his gaze on me more firmly.

“You’re not going to use that fake accent?”

Snorting, I took Renji’s previous spot, a wooden chair against the wall. I clasped my hands together and stared at them. “No. I… didn’t come here to mess with you.” Kuchiki remained silent, thankfully not interrupting. “I wanted ta-to.. I wanted to thank you.”

Looking up, I saw Kuchiki looked confused. “I guess you wouldn’t know what for, huh? Three years ago… you beat me in a fight. It was that defeat that made me push to learn Bankai before I left Seireitei… If not for that… I would have been too weak to do anything.” I glared down at my hands. “Even with all my training and strength, I was barely able to survive, let alone protect anyone. But… if I hadn’t been even that much stronger, I’m sure either Ichigo or I would have died.”

“Rukia too.” I looked up at Kuchiki, surprised that he spoke. “You helped protect my sister, as well. Thank you.” Barely smiling, I shook my head. No, I still wasn’t able to protect anyone. I guess I was never meant to.

“Well,” I stood, “I just came to thank you… For being my reason to get stronger.” Kuchiki hummed a denial, but wouldn’t say the words. Shaking my head I opened the door, not too surprised to see Renji waiting on the other side of the hall. “Goodbye, Captain Kuchiki.” I heard a polite response from Kuchiki as I exited. I was no longer afraid of him, or afraid of dying…

Stepping outside, I took a deep breath, pondering what to do next. I still wasn’t ready to face all those I knew from the Living World. Actually… I didn’t think I would be in time… I went back to the hospital room I woke up in, relieved to find all of my stuff was still there. Pulling a chair over to the dresser, I laid out paper and grabbed a brush. That was the annoying thing about Seireitei, everything was so old fashioned.

Hours later, those hours including frustration and a pile of crumpled paper, I leaned back against the chair. No one had visited, but I didn’t figure any of them would find out I was awake any time soon. I stared down at the neatly folded piece of paper that I just spent forever writing out. It wasn’t too long, as letters went, but just thinking about the recipient made my heart beat painfully against my chest. He would be mad at me… For staying… He would probably call me an idiot. Ha. That would put me pretty low, huh. Being called an idiot by an idiot. I carefully tied a ribbon around the letter and slid it into my sleeve. Once my preparations were complete, I would give it to Yoruichi to hand it over to Urahara.

* * *

 

Soukyoku Hill was a mess. I looked around, grimacing at the numerous craters in the cliff. There was a huge crack running along it that made it seem like Soukyoku Hill would crash to the ground beneath, no longer able to hold itself up. I stared out over the pattern I had just drawn. It almost went from one side of the cliff to the other, and was essentially a giant square.

Altogether, it took me some time to lay the pattern out, since I had to draw signs at regular intervals and make sure it was even. Stepping into the middle of the square, I waited. As soon as I was done, I sent a Hell Butterfly to find Ichigo. To tell Ichigo to come to Soukyoku Hill. Slowly closing my eyes, I knew it wouldn’t be long before he showed up. For the past two days, none of them had been able to find me, as I was dodging them at every corner. It was almost time for them to leave for the Living World, and none of them knew yet that I wouldn’t be leaving with them.

Feet crashed against the dirt as Ichigo ran up to me, not even noticing the pattern as he walked right over it. “Amaya! I heard you got better!” Ichigo sounded so happy… I opened my eyes and stared straight at my twin. He was my sun… My reason for living… If not for Ichigo, I would have never existed. Without answering, I walked past Ichigo and laid my letter to Urahara right outside the diagram. All the others weren’t far behind Ichigo. They were probably all together when the Jigokuchou found Ichigo.

Yoruichi was the first to step up the stairs, her gold eyes widening when she saw the pattern just past my fingertips. She ran towards us, shouting at Ichigo to get out of the square, but she was too late. Pouring my energy out, pale blue walls shot up just outside the lines of the square, forming a sphere. Pounding against the walls, Yoruichi glared at me, “What are you doing, Amaya?”

Ichigo ran to my side and began pounding against the wall, not understanding what just happened. “I made a barrier. So no one could get in… or out.” Ichigo stepped back from the wall and glared at me.

“Why?” I threw a plain sword at Ichigo’s feet, since he didn’t have his zanpakto on him. He looked from it to me, confusion clouding his expression. The rest of Ichigo’s friends finally arrived, waiting for me to answer.

“Simple…” I purposely kept my eyes only on Ichigo, “you’re going to kill me.”


	32. A Seal Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry everyone. I thought I finished posting this and didn't realize I completely forgot until I got some reviews asking to finish updating. DX So so sorry! Well, I'm posting them now. Please, let me know what you think.

Ichigo was panting on the other side of my self-imposed prison, nursing his arm. He had tried to subdue me without killing intent and paid the price. Just behind me, where I was leaning against the barrier, Yoruichi stood. “Why do you want Ichigo to kill you, Amaya?” None of them could comprehend my actions. Understandable. None of them knew the truth about my existence. Nor would they. I would tell Ichigo… but not them. Their pity or worthless assurances wouldn’t help the situation at all.

It was too late anyway. The barrier rippled as Chad slammed his fist into it. Turning on Chad, Yoruichi yelled, “Stop that! Even if you did manage to break this barrier, you would end up killing Amaya anyway! She connected it to her life force…” Yoruichi grew quieter and settled a stern glare at me, “If she dies, the barrier breaks. If the barrier breaks…”

“I die.” Chad’s arm changed back to normal from the giant black armored arm that was the representation of his power. Orihime tried to send her little fairies through the shield to heal Ichigo, but they couldn’t pass through. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the barrier. “Yoruichi,” I heard a grunt from the woman and continued, “there’s a letter at yer feet.” Finally looking down at the dusty and slightly wrinkled paper, Yoruichi crouched to pick it up. “It’s fer Urahara. Give it ta ‘im, would ya?”

Yoruichi slammed her hand against the shield, the letter flattened between her palm and the pulsing blue barrier. “Give it to him yourself!”

I sighed and dropped my head forward. “Nah. Urahara already knew this was gonna ‘appen when I offered ta come ta Soul Society wit’ ya’ll. Ya don’t know why, but this ‘as ta happen.” Banging her fists against the shield, Yoruichi stopped arguing. She was visibly upset. Were they hoping that no one would be lost during the invasion of Seireitei? I looked over at the concerned group. It truly was amazing that such a small group of children managed to take on Seireitei and not a single one of them lost their life.

Shaking my head, I straightened up and rolled my shoulders. If I just lay around waiting for Ichigo to attack, we would both die of starvation.

* * *

 

None of them could convince me to drop the barrier. Not that it was even possible in the first place. Ichigo’s friends had collapsed in a group, too exhausted from hours of arguing with me. At one point, even Kuchiki showed up, asking me what I was thinking. Still, none of them got an answer.

Not five feet from me, Ichigo warily watched me, his sword at the ready. He was learning. Good. Every time he let down his guard, I was quick to punish him with lethal kicks and slashes of my own blade. It was dark out, and no one had bothered us for some time. Stepping forward, I locked our blades and snatched Ichigo towards me by the front of his shihakusho.

He scowled darkly at me, but stopped when I whispered just light enough for only him to hear. “Would ya like ta know why I’m doin’ all this?” Ichigo weakened his tension and, eyes narrowing, I pushed down grimacing when my blade cut into his shoulder before he could push me back again.

Teeth grit so tightly together he could barely speak, Ichigo asked me, “Why?” I pushed off Ichigo’s blade and jumped back, slowly circling him. We danced around each other for a few more paces before he jumped in, forcing me to lock swords that time. “Why Amaya?”

Chuckling harshly, I grabbed the back of his head and pulled it forward until our foreheads banged together. It didn’t hurt either of us. Our blades were still crossed between our bodies and I told him. I told him everything I told Urahara. That I was a seal, his power, what it all meant…

When I was finished, Ichigo pushed back with a yell and pressed his palm to his head. I just watched. “What are you talking about? That doesn’t-“

“It does make sense Ichigo.” I stopped Ichigo and he shot confused and hurt eyes up at me. It did make sense to him. He couldn’t deny that. I could see all of the pieces clicking together in his eyes. Yelling, Ichigo attacked me, trying to work out his confusion.

He seemed so hurt… I was pretty hurt too when I found out.

_“Are you okay Amaya?” That was Isshin, my fa-No… He wasn’t my father. He was Ichigo’s father. I stared up at him, uncomprehending. It was all a bad dream. None of that was real. Masaki didn’t die and I wasn’t-_

_Masaki was dead. I could still feel her weight crushing me into the ground. I looked down at my tiny hands. So small… was it really a hand? It wasn’t some symbol used to complete a seal? I slowly twisted my hand. So small. So human… Heat built up behind my eyes, none of that was real. I_ was _real. I was Kurosaki Amaya, and Isshin was my father. Yuzu and Karin were my little sisters, and Ichigo was my beloved twin. Masaki was…_

 _A voice whispered in my ear, but it was real. Everything I knew… I knew it was true. Somehow, I just_ understood _. There was no doubt in my mind. And yet…_

Ichigo was so angry. He brought his sword high above his head. I held my sword in front of me, making a show of blocking him. However, I knew he would never kill me. I knew Ichigo would never make that final move no matter what I said… Just as his sword was about to crash into mine, I slid my sword out of the way.

He was so angry… So powered by rage and disbelief. Everything was already set in motion years before. Ichigo’s sword crushed into my shoulder, right above the scar Aizen left me. I grunted as the sharpened blade sliced down, immobilizing my arm. Ichigo stopped before it became a killing blow, his hands falling off the hilt.

He backed away, mouth agape and eyes wild. I closed my eyes and pulled the sword out. It was difficult enough standing, but I was used to worse. I looked at the wound the blade left… Even though Ichigo stopped, it would kill me. I silently watched the blood flowed. It was no different from Aizen’s scar, but at the same time…

_“Are you sure you want to do that?” I looked over to Daiyu. She was stepping out of the lake after a swim and her hair was miraculously dry again. None of them, save the silhouette girl, liked my idea. Ayama and Daiyu seemed to have competition going for who liked it the least. They understood why I had to do it, but my methods rubbed Daiyu the wrong way._

_It wasn’t absolutely necessary that I had Ichigo kill me. Any death at all would work. If Aizen had killed me, the seal would have broken anyway. Still… I sighed out and leaned back as Ayama attempted to brush out my hair. It wouldn’t do anything in the real world, but she seemed to like that I was spending enough time with her for her to attempt the task._

_“Yes… I don’t want Ichigo to cry… but I just have a feeling that it would be better. He needs to know. Everything.” Daiyu walked over and slapped Ayama’s hands away, taking over the task of brushing my hair._

_Pouting, Ayama walked around the boulder we were all sitting on and bent over to get in my face. “Ya sure ya couldn’ jus’ write ‘im a letter?” I gave Ayama a flat stare, rolling my eyes when she backed away cackling._

_“Ya know why I cain’t. He wouldn’t believe it, anyway. Ichigo needs ta hear it from me.” Daiyu shook her head and wrapped her arms around me._

_“I still don’t see why you need to go, Amaya.”_

I shot my eyes back up to Ichigo as he ran up to me to help staunch the blood flow. “Amaya, I don’t care about that, so-“ I punched Ichigo in the face with my good hand and, working quickly through his disorientation slapped my sword into his hand. My hands wrapped around his, holding him steady, I threw myself on the sword. Ichigo screamed out, “Amaya!” He let go and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, helping me to the ground since I couldn’t stand any longer.

I heard him babbling. Above me, I saw the shield flicker. I grimaced. It better hold. I couldn’t have Orihime running in and healing me with her freaky powers. Ichigo was scowling down at me. Then again, Ichigo was always scowling.

Belatedly, I wondered what the twins would think. Yuzu and Karin… It was a good thing, then, that I had grown so distant. Maybe it wouldn’t hit them so hard… I snorted. No, those two were too sweet to not feel hurt. Yuzu would probably cry non-stop.

Isshin and his stupid grin snapped into my head and I closed my eyes. He would understand. He would be sad, but he would understand. “Amaya! Damnit! Why are you doing this?” Ichigo pressed his hands to both of my wounds, gathering as much cloth against them as he could. The blood wouldn’t stop flowing.

My fingers were cold. I remembered the feeling of my palm sweating against Urahara’s. Even though heat was radiating so strongly between us, he only tightened his grip and wouldn’t let go…

In the distance, I heard Ichigo’s friends banging against my barrier, shouting out to me. The cold crept further in, encroaching on my heart. The darkness beneath my eyelids was thicker than ever and threatened to choke me. I coughed, warmth spilled across my lips. I ached.

I wished I was curled up in Urahara’s arms again. I wish our fingers were entangled and he was whispering in my ears. I wish this was never meant to happen. I felt tears press against my lashes, but I didn’t stop them this time. This moment… This moment I would allow myself to be weak.

I saw that stupid sandal hat looking at me above his fan. I knew he was smiling, messing with me. Teasing me. His grey eyes twinkled and they were all I could see beneath the brim of his hat and his fan. His hand pressed onto the top of my head as he laughed. I pouted, and he hugged me. He smelled like mint, like he always did right after taking a bath. The regular smell of tea that he always drank hadn’t taken over yet.

“Amaya…” He had that normal sing-song voice. I cried. The tears tracked down my cheeks in burning waves. I wanted to go back home. I wanted to go back, and happily tell him that we did it. Then I would tell him about my worries, and my fears. I would tell him all about Aizen and then I would yell at him for making something like the Hougyoku.

I wanted to drag him into the training room, and get confused when Minori got all flustered. I wanted to fight with Jinta and get back at him for bullying Ururu. It was getting harder to breathe and I could barely feel Ichigo’s hands anymore.

More than anything… I wanted to see Urahara one last time… And thank him for my life. I struggled harder to breath and something bubbled in my lungs. Oh… My blood probably… I opened my eyes, but it was so dark. I grasped for the hand pressed over my wound. Ichigo scrambled to turn his hand over and hold mine. He told me to hold on. I closed my eyes again.

“I’m… sorry.” I couldn’t hold on anymore. I couldn’t control my hand anymore.

Light then dark flashed before my eyes and in the distance I could see Ichigo. He was already so far away. He was so bright. I ran and ran, and I still couldn’t reach him. He kept getting so far away. I stumbled and fell. I gave up.

A hand appeared in front of me, and I grasped it. I was pulled up as if I weighed nothing. Looking up, I grinned back at Urahara. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. We tightened our embrace so much I felt my back pop, but eventually he let go and I dropped. Smiling, I turned around. Jiro waved from far back. All of a sudden I was 12 again, so short, and weak. I looked up at the Soul Reaper and accepted his hand. I was no longer chasing after Ichigo… I had already done what I was meant to do.

Even though I followed that path until the bitter end… I still wanted everything else. I still wanted more. I couldn’t fight anymore though… Fate… had run its course. All of the power drained from me, and the barrier fell.


	33. The Letter

Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Minori, and Yoruichi were falling through the air. They hadn’t expected that gate to open in the middle of the sky again, but it had. Again, they were falling, and the ground did _not_ look the least bit welcoming. A thick blanket wrapped around them, jumbling them all together for a few seconds, but then it smashed into something and unrolled into a long tag-shaped sheet. Heading off at the point was Urahara, crosslegged. Cheerfully, he waved his fan at the group behind him and said, “Welcome home, everyone!”

“Mr... Urahara…” Ichigo awkwardly looked at the shop owner, not sure what to say.

Turning just enough to look at Ichigo, Urahara said again, “Welcome home, Mr. Kurosaki. You’ve heard, yes? About me?” Ichigo looked away. He had almost forgotten about that since Amaya…

“Yeah.” Urahara took his hat off and turned, bowing to Ichigo and his friends.

“I am truly… sorry.” Ichigo couldn’t say anything. He had to look away again.

“Stop it.” How would he start? He couldn’t even be mad at Urahara at that point. “It doesn’t matter now.” How would he tell Urahara? From what Yoruichi told him after… Urahara and Amaya were close. Closer than he had ever been, even though he was her twin. “It’s not like I’m mad either. You didn’t really do anything wrong. Wherever your heart was, you helped us and made us stronger. We appreciate that.” He sounded so much more confident than he felt.

Urahara bowed his head further and closed his eyes. Ichigo continued, “So… don’t apologize.” Crouching down so he could be on the same level as Urahara, Ichigo asked, “Can I just ask you one thing? Is the reason you didn’t tell me the truth... was that you thought if you told me I’d panic and run away?”

Urahara, his hat back on, looked up at Ichigo. “B-“ cheer restored, Urahara opened his fan and straightened. “Bingo!” Ichigo elbowed Urahara in the face, forgetting for just a second why he couldn’t bring himself to get angry at Urahara.

He turned about to scowl, when he saw Amaya. She seemed so peaceful… Curled in Chad’s arms. Ichigo couldn’t just leave her there… And the Soul Reapers had… helped. Her eyes were closed, and no one could see the killing blows that seemed so harsh and painful as he pressed his hands into her blood, trying to get it to stop.

“I-I can’t believe I got an elbow… That was unexpected…” Ichigo didn’t look back at Urahara.

“And… Make sure you apologize to Rukia.” Urahara took his hand from his face, looking back to Ichigo. “Although I’m pretty sure she’ll say the same thing as us.”

Properly chastised, Urahara agreed and held his ankles together. Taking the chance, and unable to bring himself to stay, Ishida finally spoke up, “Well then, Mr. Urahara, could you let me off here?”

“Yes, yes! Roger!” The sheet floated low enough to the ground that the Quincy could step down. In their usual rival-banter Ishida and Ichigo bid each other farewell, pretending for just a moment that everything was fine. Next was Orihime, then Minori. When it was time for Chad to go, he silently laid Amaya down, gentler than ever as if the slightest bump could harm her. Ichigo and Yoruichi shared a look when Chad did that. Yoruichi nodded, as if Ichigo had asked a question.

In a way, he had. He asked if Yoruichi would tell Urahara. He knew he should take Amaya home, tell their family… No, he had to lie. He couldn’t tell them that she fought him to the… Ichigo saw the riverbank where his mother died and made a split second decision. Jumping down, after warning Urahara, Ichigo left Yoruichi with Urahara. And… Amaya.

“What’s wrong, Yoruichi?” Yoruichi looked up at her old friend, suspiscious at his blatant ignorance to Amaya’s presence. There was no way he hadn’t realized. One by one, they all left, smiling, pretending they hadn’t seen Ichigo cut down Amaya. And Ichigo… Yoruichi stared back to the riverbank… There was no way that was easy, watching his identical twin die. By his hand.

“Nothing, it’s just been a long time.” For now, she would pretend too. She would pretend Amaya would open her eyes when they stopped and Urahara would tease her.

“That’s true.” Yoruichi got out the letter Amaya gave her and stared at it. No one had read it. There was no way of knowing what Amaya had written. She looked back to her closest friend. He still wouldn’t look at Amaya.

“Say, Kisuke…” She waited until Urahara answered, “What do you think is going to happen?”

Urahara looked up to the sky, thinking, “Well… we began far on the losing side… and we’ve finally gotten a handle on things again. We’ll get Kurosaki and the others to keep on working hard… and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

Still staring at the letter, Yoruichi sighed. “Probably neither you nor I will die a peaceful death.”

“Well, that… can’t be helped I think.” Finally, Urahara looked to Amaya. His usual smile was gone. His eyes were hard. He knew… He couldn’t sense her life force. Amaya had gone and done it. Just as they both thought, Amaya had died. After hearing what happened in Seireitei, Urahara knew why she had gone ahead with it.

Seeing her friend finally acknowledge Amaya’s body, Yoruichi slid the letter over to Urahara. Blinking, confused, Urahara met her golden gaze. “She asked me to give it to you.”

Urahara waited until they were at the shouten before opening it. Tessai had respectfully laid Amaya out on her futon in her old room. She looked like she was just sleeping… Urahara brushed her wild orange hair out of her face and looked out the door. The door facing the backyard was open to let the moon shine in.

Shakily, he opened the slightly crumpled paper.

_Dear Urahara,_

_I really don’t know what to say. I’ve already told you everything that needs to be said. I feel that it would be wrong to explain myself. Somehow. I’m not too sure. I’m not even sure I have much to write._

_I suppose I should thank you. For making me so happy these last few years. Because of you, I felt like this moment wouldn’t come. You made me feel like this would never happen, and that would be okay._

_It terrifies me to write this down. My heart is beating so fast right now, you have no idea. I keep thinking to myself that I should take all my words with me, but then I think of you and I know you deserve something._

_I’ve always admired you. So much. I think you’re beautiful. I can’t keep my eyes off you whenever you move. But you make me so mad! You always laze around and treat me like a kid and mess up my hair. And then you molest me you pervert! Well, that’s what I think usually. This though, should be reserved for how I really feel, right?_

_I don’t know when, but my admiration grew. Every time you held my hand, I never wanted you to let go. And I always wanted to run into your arms whenever anything happened. You made me feel so safe. I’m really not sure, and I could be wrong, but with everything happening just as we thought it would I don’t really have time to figure it out or get over it._

_I love you. God, that just seems so wrong. I mean, I do. But, I feel like it’s something I should never say. Oh wait, I never will. Sorry, I’m probably not supposed to make jokes about that, right? You and Jiro were always better at relieving the tension than me._

_I’m not lying though. I really do. At least, I think I do. A small part of me wishes I could know how you felt too, but then I remember that you think of me as a kid. It must suck having a kid you practically raised confess to you. Sorry._

_I didn’t just write this to tell you that though. I meant to tell you something else. I’m not afraid. Of dying. You don’t have to worry about me. This is fine with me. After all, it’s the day I’ve been waiting for for… what? Five or six years. I’m fine. So don’t worry about me._

_Yours Truly,_

_Amaya_

_PS. I just wanted to say it one last time since it’s the last time I’ll ever get to say something like it. I love you._

_PPS. Idiot._

Tears dropped onto the paper, making the ink bleed. Urahara brought his hand up to cover his eyes, protected the letter from his tears. His shoulders shook as he thought of the young girl. All of the letters shook. Each letter was a clear sign to his sharp eyes that she shook while writing it. The edges were worn away from her fingers as she fiddled with it. He knew… She wasn’t at peace with it.

Up until the last moment, Amaya was scared, and he couldn’t protect her. She lied to him to make him feel better about his failure to protect her. “That idiot!” Urahara’s hands felt cold and empty…

He got up and moved to sit by Amaya’s side again. Gingerly, he smoothed out the letter by her side. Then he tangled his hand in hers, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You idiot.” Her fingers didn’t curl like they should. His hand remained cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it: the last chapter. Did anyone else's heart clench? I hated writing this part. Uh, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but... hell. I really hope you guys read the A/N!
> 
> The brunette spoke up, “Kurosaki?” Kurosaki? Was that… me? His brown eyes were steely and didn’t blink as he stared at me. Who were these men? Did they know me before? But… how did I know Soul Reapers before I died? I knew I was gaping, so I snapped my mouth shut. Whoever I was, I couldn’t fathom why they were gripping their swords.  
> My mind immediately supplied Takumi’s belief that I was a fighter at some point in my life. Shaking my head I brought my smile back. “I’m sorry. My name is Rie. Did you know me before?”  
> Dropping his hand from his sword hilt, the brunette’s expression softened and he smiled up at me. “No, I’m sorry. You just reminded me of someone else.” I tilted my head. Oh. I had thought… I sighed. I wasn’t sure what I thought. Despite him denying it, my stomach still roiled queasily. For some reason, my body was screaming at me to leave. I pushed the reaction to the side. It was probably because they were immediately on guard when they saw me.  
> “Do ya not ‘member anythin’?” I turned to the ever-grinning silver-haired man. His face was narrow, and his never-changing expression made him seem mysterious and fox-like. I pushed down the twinge of motion that went down my spine. Somehow he put me on edge.  
> “No. I couldn’t remember anything when I woke up, so Grandma Noriko took me in.” I smiled at them, ducking my head. It always felt like I should be ashamed that I couldn’t remember anything. “She named me Rie.”  
> I was about to walk away, but a hand much larger than my own lightly grabbed my fingers. I turned back. It was the kind looking brunette. He bowed over my hand, and I was sure I blushed. “This man is my associate, Gin Ichimaru. And I’m Sousuke Aizen. It’s a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman like you here, Rie.” Now there was no way I wasn’t blushing. Me? I always looked like a wild dog and I had bright orange spikey hair that refused to obey me.  
> I ducked my head to hide my blush. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Aizen.”


End file.
